


The Nightmare / The Daydream

by Cordria



Category: Danny Phantom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 09:44:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21013736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cordria/pseuds/Cordria
Summary: Danny's trapped in a nightmare world and his ghost powers are vanishing. Can he find the key in time to save himself, his mother, and possibly the rest of the world from an ancient and powerful creature buried in his dreams? (originally posted on Fanfiction in 2006 as two stories: The Nightmare - a 12 chapter fic - and The Daydream - a 24 chapter fic. Re-posted here in 2019 in condensed chapters. Not yet edited.)





	1. The Nightmare

There it was… the nightmare again. He closed his eyes, focused on that bit of himself that wasn't like the rest, trying to let the warm, heavy feeling fizzle through this being – only it didn't. It was supposed to be effortless. It wasn't supposed to even be a mere thought, it was less than that. Except today. Today it was impossible. He had made himself dizzy from concentrating so hard.

He opened his eyes, staring at himself in the mirror. Under the messy white hair, glowing green eyes stared right back at him. He sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe this nightmare wasn't so bad. He was usually at school, or out on the town, or with his parents, or something. Locked safely in his room was a dream compared to the usual nightmare. Here, he could just spend a bit of time stuck in his ghost form, and when he woke up all would be well. After all, he had this nightmare very often. He always woke up. He was always better.

Keeping his eyes closed, he drifted over to his bed and collapsed onto it. The alarm next to his bed told him that he would be getting up in fifteen minutes – if the alarm in the real world said the same time. Not too long to wait. He could start to…

_Knock, knock, knock!_

He flipped himself invisible with barely a thought and rolled into a crouch, poised to take off. Even in this nightmare, he was tense and ready to fight. His arm throbbed from the earlier fight with Skulker and his leg twitched. "Danny?" his mother called through the door, then she opened it and walked in with an armload of laundry. He didn't move. He was invisible. She wouldn't see him.

But she stopped in her tracks and stared straight into his eyes. Dropping the laundry, she yelled "Ghost!" Then she glanced around the room and hissed, "Where's my son?"

He was confused. Why could she see him? Why wasn't he invisible? What kind of nightmare was this? It was too much. He needed to get away. He took off, phasing through the ceiling… only he couldn't. He hit his head hard on the ceiling and tumbled to the ground, blackness twitching at the edges of his vision while stars danced in the middle. He struggled to his knees, gasping at the pain in his head. What was going on?

He heard a faint sound behind him. The swish of a foot on the carpet. Twisting his head, he had just enough to time to notice that the Anti-Creep Stick was inches from his face and moving fast, before his head seemed to explode and the blackness overwhelmed him totally.

His last conscious thought before the darkness swept him away was that the nightmare was finally over.

Unfortunately for him he was totally wrong.

* * *

The pounding music woke him up. Who would have the bass turned up so high in this house? He cracked open his eyes, only to squeeze them shut again as a light as bright as the sun burned into his brain, turning up the sound of the pounding. Dimly, he realized that the pulsing bass of the music was actually the throbbing of his own mind. With that, the nightmare of last night circled murkily into his brain, but that was just a nightmare. Skulker must have hit him harder than he thought to give him this big of a headache. 

He tried to roll over, only to find that his back and neck were stiff from laying on a hard surface for hours. He must have fallen asleep on the floor. Moaning in pain, he pushed himself into a sitting position, keeping his eyes firmly shut and his head as still as possible. It was going to be a wonderful day. He knew it. This headache, and now the all-over ache of sleeping on the floor. And his arm still hurt. Today was one of those days he could count on Lancer giving a test.

"Ghost." That sounded strangely like his mother. Only she wasn't screaming it like usual. She said it matter-of-factly. From close by – only a few feet away. It was almost like she was speaking to one. But that wasn't possible… was it? Maddie Fenton? Speak first and blast later?

His head throbbed at the questions pounding through his brain. Or had she already blasted and now was ready to talk? There was only one way to find out. He needed to open his eyes.

One slightly opened eye told him the bad news. Maddie Fenton was staring at _him_. Thus, she was talking to _him_. She was, obviously, talking to a ghost, so he was still… his brain froze as the thought coalesced in his mind.

Two slightly opened eyes told him the nightmare was far from over. He was surrounded by some sort of ghost-shield. It was a half-sphere, no more than five or six feet across, and he was sitting on the ground in the middle. Maddie, the ghost-shield, and he were all in the lab downstairs. The lab with all the testing equipment. The lab that was used to tear ghosts apart "molecule by molecule." Painfully, most likely.

"Ghost," she said again, now that she had his attention. "Where is my son? What were you doing in his room?"

He slowly turned to stare at her, since any fast movements made his head spin. There was something wrong with her voice. He couldn't focus well enough to figure out what, but there was something… off…

"Answer me, ghost!" she hissed, grabbing a large ecto-weapon off the wall and pointing it at his bruised head. The Fenton Foamer, his brain whispered to him as he continued to stare. "Answer me!" her voice broke, and a sob left her. The weapon never wavered in her grip. "What have you done to my son?"

He decided to answer her, his voice welling up inside of him. He would tell her everything – that he was a ghost. The pain would go away. The nightmare would end. She would take him into her arms and tell him everything was going to be okay. That's what mothers are for, after all. He took a deep breath to begin to talk, but halfway up his voice decided to stop working. His mouth felt oddly dry as the world seemed to spin around him. The blackness swirled up like mist, claiming his mind for a second time.

"No!" he heard dimly as he surrendered to the darkness. "Please answer me!" Her screaming sobs chased him, nibbling at his heals as he ran from her.

* * *

The next time he woke up, his head was pounding quite a bit less. He was still in the ghost-shield, still in the lab… but the lab was dark and apparently empty. The portal was closed. The only light came from the dimly glowing dome surrounding him. He sighed, and tried to figure out what was going on.

That he wasn't in a normal nightmare was obvious. What wasn't so obvious was whether he was in some ghost's weird version of a nightmare or if he was in real life. Some ghosts, he knew, could mess with your mind. Make you see things and think things. It wasn't much of a stretch to imagine one could trap you in a nightmare. But he couldn't remember any new ghosts lately – and the fight with Skulker had been a normal fight. He hadn't been hit with anything weird.

So he was probably in real life. Which meant he was in big trouble. He needed to find a way out of here.

Flexing his fingers, he focused on that vague warm, heavy feeling in his mind again. He relaxed, trying to let the feeling wash over him… but nothing happened. It was a similar failure when he tried to phase through the floor. Two options down. Green, flowing ecto-energy swirled around his fingers as he tensed his arm. Pointing towards the dome, he fired off a shot with a flicker of thought. The energy ball exploded against the shield, sending green sparks raining down over him. Shaking the energized ectoplasm out of his hair, he glanced at the power reading on the shield generator. Not even a flicker. Not worth it. Another option down.

"What have you done to my son?" came an agonized voice from behind him. He twisted around, swiveling into a fighting stance before he even registered who it was. Standing over a sleeping bag, hair matted and sleep-deprived, his mother looked even worse than he did.

"Me?" he asked, relaxing slightly. She held something in her hands, but it looked harmless. Maybe a picture frame.

"You!" her voice was raising to a scream. "My son has been missing for four days and then you show up in his room! You! What have YOU done to MY SON?" She seemed to be quivering with pent up anger. But her hands were gentle on the object in her fingers.

He stared at her, watching her standing there, seemingly ready to fight the world to get her son back. To get _him_ back. "Four days?" was all he could think of to say. That can't be right. He fought Skulker last night. He had supper with her just before that. A couple of hours – tops. Not four days.

"Yes," she whispered, dissolving into tears. She sank to the floor, cradling the object in her hands. "I want my son back."

He sat on the floor, his world spinning – but not from his headache this time. He wanted to say something, say _anything_, but what? He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He wanted to tell her. He needed to tell her now. But where to start?

"Start at the beginning," he heard her whisper. He blinked, startled. She couldn't read his mind. She continued, not waiting for his answer. "What were you doing in my son's room?" Her head came up, red-rimmed eyes staring straight into his glowing green ones.

"We are…" he hesitated. He couldn't tell her now. She wouldn't believe him. She'd think he was torturing her. He couldn't hurt her. "We are friends, kind of." He tried to give her a small smile, but she continued to stare at him.

"Friends?" she wondered. "Why would my son be friends with a ghost?"

"We have lots in common." He wondered how much she knew about him. The silence pressed on him to talk some more. "I was in his room looking for him. I… I had something of his I needed to return." His stomach twisted as he lied to her. She didn't deserve this.

She stared at him for a few moments more. He started to doubt that she believed him when she spoke again. "Where is my son?" All the fire was draining out of her body. Her voice was even becoming laden with lack of sleep and too much fear.

He hesitated. What could he tell her? "He's trapped, I think." Wonderful, he thought, now she's going to ask where. "He can't get out."

A faint smile crossed her face. "If he's trapped and you know it, why were you looking for him in his room?" she asked softly. He was caught in his own lie.

He stiffened, looking up. He opened his mouth to try and answer when she suddenly stood up. "Look at this, ghost," she moved across the space between them, stopping just before the ghost-shield. She held up the picture that she had been cradling. "This is my son." He looked at a picture of himself – one from quite a few years before, when the two of them has been working on some science experiment together. His dad had snapped the picture, he remembered. She had kept that picture, framed it, and put it on the bookshelf in the living room. He had seen her smiling sometimes, just staring that that picture for the longest time. He had never wondered why before this moment. "I want my son back. Where is he? You know, ghost. I know it." She paused and whispered, "Please."

He stared into her eyes. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest. What could he say? Should he tell her the truth? Finally? Would she believe him?

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at him. He had never seen her cry so much before. She was always the strong one in the family – ready to fight to protect those she loved. Here she was, standing in front of her, broken and begging. Begging for a ghost to help her. Ghosts, which she hated more than anything. Begging _him_ for answers. What should he say?

"Please."

"I…." he whispered, uncertain. Suddenly, he knew. He knew he needed to say this. Yet, still, he hesitated, torn. "I'm…"

* * *

"I'm sorry." His voice was barely loud enough for himself to hear. "I don't know where he is." A knife felt like it had been thrust into his stomach. The invisible knifer twisted the blade cruelly deeper into his gut. "I'm sorry."

Her eyes stared into his. A sob wrenched itself out of her lips and she basically flew up the stairs, leaving him in the semi-darkness of the basement. He curled up, dragging his knees almost to his chin, and he sat there and felt sorry for himself and the world. He hadn't really had a choice. She wouldn't have believed the truth. But still… it hurt.

Where had he been for four days? Was this really the real world? The fact that he was missing a huge chunk of time seemed to tell him that he was trapped in a nightmare of the ghostly variety. But if he was, it was a very convincing dream.

He looked about him, looking for a way out. The only way to know for sure, the only way to help his mother was to get out and find some answers. Beat some answers out of an assorted number of ghosts if necessary. Nobody made his mother cry like that and lived to talk about it. He curled his fingers into a fist tight enough that he imagined he could hear his human knuckles pop.

Why couldn't he turn intangible or invisible, but yet still be able to fly and shoot bursts of ectoplasm? It seemed wrong, somehow, that only part of his powers were gone and not the rest. His legs twitched, and his stomach twisted. Something was definitely wrong with him. He didn't know what – but he could assume it was ghost-related.

He struggled to his feet and started to pace back and forth. Actually, it was only a couple of feet worth of pacing as the ghost-shield was a dome and he needed to duck when he wasn't near the center. A couple of feet were more trouble that it was worth. So he started walking in circles. First one way, then the other, then back the other way. Round and round he traveled, searching his mind for an answer. Searching the ghost-shield for a way out. There was none of either to be found.

Finally, he collapsed down onto the floor again. It had to be something about that fight. The last fight with Skulker. It had been just him and the ghost, really late at night. No Sam or Tucker around. It had been a relatively normal fight, all things considered. Skulker had called him whelp a few times, vowing loudly that he would do all sorts of nauseating things with his pelt if he ever caught him. He had taunted Skulker back, teasing him about his lack of ability to actually catch him and do anything about it. The fight itself had been quick – Skulker had no new weapons and had apparently not learned anything since the last time he had been trounced. He had sucked Skulker into the Fenton Thermos and flew off. Back to bed. Where he couldn't get out of his ghost form.

No. Wait – there had been something. Just after the fight, when he was putting the lid back on the thermos. He had thought he saw some strange red light, and a chill had crawled up his back for a moment. He had put it off as nothing… but what if it was something? What if it was the answer?

He wracked his brains for a few minutes, but couldn't come up with anything on the subject. That was the extent of his knowledge. A red light and a feeling. Not exactly a lot to go on.

He heard a sliver of noise coming from the corner. He jumped into a crouch, instinctively calling ecto-energy out of his body and into his hands. Except there was no fizzling energy. His forehead wrinkled as he concentrated. Nothing. A cold feeling piercing his heart, he stared out into the corner of the dark room. It was too dark to see anything. The dim glow from the ghost-shield wasn't bright enough to illuminate the whole room. "Who's there?" he called out.

_Something_ moved across the room. He saw the vague shadow against the white walls. His whole body tensed. He was not strong enough to fight. Not without most of his powers. They were slipping through his fingers like water. He wasn't sure what he had left to fight with. A shiver of fear crept down through his body.

The something slid out of the shadows and up to the ghost-shield. It reached out and placed its hand on the power button of the generator. Then, it turned to him. He jumped backwards, feeling the sizzle when his head hit the top of the dome. The something smiled at him. It had a mouth and teeth that looked just like his. It had ice blue eyes that stared hauntedly at him from under familiar-looking, messy, black hair. "Save me, Danny," the thing whispered.

Then it hit the power button and, with a flash of red light the only source of light in the dark lab ceased to exist. He shivered violently, though from fear or something else he was not certain. The lingering voice echoed out of the blackest recesses of the dark room. "Save me."

* * *

He pelted through the dark lab, moving too fast for someone who could no longer walk through objects. He yelped when his feet got caught in the winding tubes of some invention he didn't remember being on the ground, and actually screamed when his whole body slammed into a table he hadn't realized was there until it was too late. Finally, he felt the stairs under his feet and he raced up, his hands and feet clawing for purchase on the dark, hard stairs. He was going too fast, he rammed his head into the door before he realized he was at the top.

The door flew open. Sunlight spilled down upon him as the sun started to rise into the sky. He slammed the door shut and stared about the kitchen, his breath ragged and his eyes wide. He let out a shaky breath and took a slow step away from the door. His arm and leg hurt from when he barreled into the table down there and he would have a king-size bruise on his side later. However, a vague, happy smile crossed his face as he stared at the sun.

"Maddie?" he called softly. "Maddie Fenton?" He wandered out of the kitchen into the deserted living room. Nobody. He crept up the stairs, avoiding the third stair that always squeaked, and poked his head into her room. "Mom?" he whispered when he found the room to be empty. The bed was made, the floor was clean, and there was no sign that anything bad had been happen.

He caught sight of himself in her mirror. Still a ghost. He slipped out of her room and toured the house, including the ops center, sticking his head into every nook and cranny. There was nobody in the house. Where had she gone? Out looking for him? But why would she have taken the time to clean her house?

Stopping in the living room, he glanced around. Everything was too normal. The couch was in the right place, the TV was dust-free, and the various ecto-weapons were scattered about, half taken apart. Even the book shelf was undisturbed. Including… he paused, then drifted over to the shelves in a trance. Including the picture of himself and his mother. The same picture she had been holding downstairs.

He picked it up and stared at the happy faces in the photograph. Why would she have just left it? She had seemed to care about it so much last night. Now, it was just left sitting on the shelf. It even had a small layer of dust on it. Nothing else had dust. That was weird.

"I'm sick of this," he hissed. He glared around, as if the empty silence would answer his questions. "What is going on?" In the silence, he screamed. "What is going on?"

It made no sense. None of this made sense. He needed some answers, and they weren't going to come from this room. In the kitchen, everything looked just as normal. He finally stopped searching and just sat down at the kitchen table, setting the picture of him and his mother on top of the newspaper in front of him, and dropped his head onto his arms. He stared at the newspaper blankly for a long while before it began to sink in. "February?" he whispered. He picked up the picture and the paper and ran his fingers over the date, unbelieving. "Why would we have a February newspaper? It's October."

He had just set down the paper when the door clicked and creaked open. He whipped around. Maddie walked in, carrying a bag of groceries and laughing. When she spotted him, her laugher cut off.

"Ghost." There was no pain and tears in her voice anymore. It was pure anger. She reached for the nearest ecto-weapon. It was pointed at him. He was still reeling. Trying to figure out what was going on. She spotted the picture that he was still holding, clutched in his fingers. "Stay away from my family!" she yelled as her finger found the trigger. There would be no dodging this blast. He couldn't go invisible or intangible. His life was over.

"Wait. Mom, NO!"

* * *

He blinked. Who had said that? It had sounded like himself. But yet he hadn't said anything…

That was when it walked through the door. He recognized the creature from the basement that had released him from the ghost-shield. It stared at him with those haunted eyes. "Save me, Danny!" he heard echo softly through his head.

His mother glanced at the creature in his form. "Why not sweetie?" she asked it, her cold eyes quickly centering back on his face.

It smiled vaguely. "He's one of the good guys. He rescued me four months ago, remember?" It glanced in his direction and sent him a stare. He didn't remember rescuing the creature. But obviously, it wanted him to play along.

She lowered the weapon slightly and took her eyes off of him to glance again at the thing she thought was her son. "I suppose… but it is still a ghost…"

"Let him go, Mom. You can catch him next time." It reached over and took the picture out of his nerveless fingers. Then it stood there for a few seconds and watched him. "You can go." He could hear her foot tapping impatiently on the floor, and could see her fingers drumming the barrel of the ecto-weapon.

He hesitated, staring at it. Then, he glanced over at her. What was going on? He needed time to think, time to get his questions answered. Leaving would be a good idea, he knew. That would give him time to find his friends and figure out what was happening.

He took a few steps towards the door when all of the kitchen lights flickered red for a second. He shivered at the sudden cold chill. The kitchen was totally silent. He looked around – the kitchen was suddenly empty. Where had she gone? Where had it gone? He curled his arms around his middle as his insides twisted evilly and he sank to the floor

Lying on the floor was another newspaper. He picked it up and stared at the date. April now. He turned his glowing green eyes towards the window and wondered at that for a moment. Perhaps a better question might be where had _he_ gone?

* * *

The house was, once again, devoid of anything except himself. He wandered through the empty rooms for nearly a half-hour, thinking. It was obvious that he needed answers. It was, likewise, obvious that the creature that was taking his place had at least some of those answers. It was, finally, obvious that the creature was not currently present, and probably did not want to hand over the answers easily.

So it would come down to a fight. He stared down as his hand as he tensed his arm and willed some energized ectoplasm to it. Nothing. Even his ability to fly had vanished some time in the past few hours. The only thing he still had of his ghostly persona, other than his hair and eyes, was his slightly-transparent and glowing body.

If he had to fight, he wanted the fight to be completely one-sided. He had left the heroic "fair fight" ideal behind him years ago. He tramped down to the lab and started to collect equipment. A couple of carefully laid traps, an ecto-gun or two, and a "Ghost Containment Device" later, he was crouched behind the couch of the living room, waiting for the creature to walk through the door.

Three hours later, he was rubbing his sore back, and still waiting. He was just starting to think about going into the kitchen to get something to drink when his trap went off. He jumped over the couch, his ecto-gun pointed at the net that was dangling from the ceiling. The creature inside the net was struggling. It stopped when it noticed him approaching.

"Nice trap, ghost," it greeted him, a smile crossing its face.

He smiled back, but it was a tired smile with no happiness in it. "I want some answers. Don't give me trouble and I won't give you trouble."

"That sounds like a plan." It didn't seem terribly troubled by the fact it was dangling from the ceiling with a dangerous weapon pointed at it. In fact, it seemed almost pleased.

"Let's start with who you are."

Its smile grew, showing him every tooth it could. "I am you, dear ghost. I would have thought that was obvious."

He shook his head. "You are not me!" he hissed. "Answer me truthfully or I will use your head for a basketball." He blinked, startled by how much he had sounded like Skulker.

"Would you really?" it mussed, even going so far as to stroke its chin. "I fail to see that sort of maliciousness in you. Too bad, really. You might have really made something of yourself."

He moved the ecto-gun closer, so that it was pointed directly between the creature's eyes. When he spoke, his voice was cold and emotionless. "Who. Are. You."

The creature laughed, gazing at him over the barrel of the ecto-gun. "Perhaps you have something in you after all. Ah well. It really is too late for you." It placed its hand on the end of the ecto-gun and pushed it back at him. As he stumbled back, the creature leaned lazily back into the net and grinned at him. "You are trapped, my host. Trapped in a world of your own design. Such a nice world too." It gazed around for a moment, then leaned forward and met his gaze. "And, sooner or later I will find your weakness. Then your world will crumble, your soul will flee into the afterlife, and I will be all that is left. I will take your place. I will take your potential. I will be you." It dissolved into maniacal giggles.

"I'll stop you!" he yelled. He tried to remain confident, but his knees were going weak and his arms were trembling. This creature seemed far too positive of itself to be easy to defeat.

"A thousand hosts have told me the same thing," it giggled. "You are only the latest in the line. Far from the first, and definitely not the last."

"I'll find a way to stop you."

It stopped giggling, and stared solemnly into his eyes. "Of course there is a way to stop me. Every ghost has a weakness." It gazed at him, its eyes taking in the dazed expression in his eyes, the slumped posture, and the dim glow of his body. "I am near to finding yours. Too near for you to stop me." A merciless grin split its face. "But we need to keep this fun, don't we ghost? So I'll tell you my weakness." It thread its fingers into the mesh of the net and pushed its face into the net. "You need to find the key." Then it settled back again, watching him.

"A key?" he asked. "What key?"

"The key to you. The key to your power. It is something that you have always had, but never thought about. You have always carried with it you, but never touched it. You have always known this, but never told anyone. It is what will make you the most powerful ghost to ever have existed." It was silent as its words seemed to echo around the room for a moment. "That is your key." A gleeful light glittered in its eyes for a second. "That is also your weakness."

They stared at each other. Glowing green eyes into ice-blue eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, when Maddie walked through the door and started screaming at him. With the number of weapons he had dragged up to "fight" the creature, he decided it would be a better idea to make a swift exit than to stay and ask more questions. After all, she knew the ecto-weapons much better than he did. And she was a far better shot.

* * *

He met the creature again later that evening. He was waiting on his bed when it walked through the door. It didn't seem surprised to see him there. "We didn't get to finish our conversation earlier," he quipped, motioning to the chair next to the desk.

"Of course not. We were interrupted." It walked over to the chair and slid into it, relaxed and unconcerned.

"I have a few more questions. You'd better answer them truthfully!" he snarled.

It answered him with a grin.

"You never got around to telling me who you really are."

"I am you. There is not difference." It smiled patiently. "How come my hosts always have a hard to understanding this? There is no me. I am you."

"But why? Why do you need me?"

It sat up, tilting its head, hesitating. "I lack a body of my own, ghost. I lack the power and abilities to manifest myself on either the human plane or the ghost zone. My power and abilities come directly from my host. That is why I search out the strongest ghosts to take over."

He stared, startled, at the creature. This seemingly powerful being was that weak? It didn't even have enough power to form a body for itself? He was getting completely trounced by a creature so weak it barely existed? Yet, somehow, it seemed to be telling the truth.

"I am very good at what I do," it continued, turning its gaze to his folded hands. "That is why I can control ghosts of power, such as yourself. Although, I will admit that you present more of a problem than I had originally assumed. You have held off my mental probing for longer than any of my hosts in several hundred years. For a boy of such limited experience, I am extremely impressed."

He just continued to stare at the creature, mouth dropping open. Why was it complimenting him?

"It shows just how much raw potential you have in you. No door is closed to you. You could've been anything." It looked up from its twiddling fingers, a smile crossing its face. For a second, its eyes glowed green. "I can be anything. I am slowly figuring out your key, and once I have it all, I will have all of your powers, all of your potential, and all of your future. And you – ghost child – will have nothing. Not even your memories."

"I will stop you!" he screamed, jumping out of his bed and trying to punch the creature in the face. It just went intangible and he screamed again when his fist hit the wall behind its head.

"So you've said." It sighed. "You fail to understand. All I need is time. And that, child," it picked up a small stick with glowing green swirls, "is something you do not have possess." It waved the stick, causing a small red circle of light to form in the air. It flew to over his head, almost like a crown. "I now control this dream, just as I control the time. I have all the time in the universe to learn your key, and you have none!" It grinned happily, then flicked its stick towards him. The red circle descended over him, enveloping him in a burst of red light.

When it cleared, the room was empty and the calendar on his desk read June. He clenched his fingers into a fist and let out a yell of pure frustration.

* * *

He raced through the house, not even thinking about who was there. He needed to find the key. He needed to find it before that evil creature did. A thousand questions tore through his mind, not the least of which was the question of what the key was.

As he ransacked the lab, tossing equipment into the air, looking for some sort of hint, a thought passed through is mind. It made him stop, holding the Fenton Fisher in mid-toss. Where was everybody? He had only seen his mother and the creature. Where were his dad and sister? What about his friends? Why weren't they in this dream?

Finally, he tossed the modified fishing pole over his shoulder and grabbed another piece of equipment, dropping that line of thought. He stared at a Fenton Thermos, then dropped it with a crash onto a pile of junk. He wasn't going to find any answers in the lab. He knew it down deep inside of him.

He slowly moved up the steps, feeling more and more drained of energy as time progressed. He meandered through the house, trailing his fingers over railings and tables. The house was still empty. It was quiet – a sort of unreal quiet that only happened in movies or in bad dreams.

He paused for a few moments in his sister's room. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for months. Almost like Jazz didn't exist. Why hadn't his mother noticed? Was she just a piece of the dream or was she trapped here somehow too?

His mother's room was a different story. The bed was still rumpled from last night, and there were dirty clothes in the corner. None of his father's things were touched. Just his mothers'. He wondered if she realized that there were people missing from her life. What had the creature done to her?

In the living room, he flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes. He was so tired, and the search was hopeless. It would just be a matter of time before that evil creature came back and destroyed him. He opened his green eyes and sighed. He might as well spend it doing something interesting. He reached for the remote to the TV that was sitting on the bookshelf nearby, wondering if this dream world got more than just basic cable.

He stopped, staring at the pictures sitting beside the remote. He got up and stood next to the bookshelf and picked up a handful of photos. He dropped them, one-by-one, until he was left with only one in his hands. The picture of him and his mother. A small smile came unbidden to his face as he remembered the smiles and laughter of that day. He brushed off a small layer of dust, then he tilted the picture slightly so he could see his reflection in the glass.

He gazed at his reflection in horror. His insubstantial-ness was gone, and the glowing energy surrounding his body was rapidly vanishing. Then, it was gone as well. That was it. The last of his ghost powers were gone.

"Ghost," he heard the creature speak from behind him. "I figured it out. Time is up."

He didn't even pause long enough to take a breath before he took off running. He dropped the picture and sprinted for the door. He heard the sound of breaking glass as it hit the floor. Tears blurred his vision as he moved, for he knew very well that there was no place to run.

* * *

He was curled up on the floor of the lab, tears trickling down his face. He was still a ghost, so they weren't normal tears. They left flowing trails of ectoplasm on his cheeks. Not that he really cared at the moment. He was stuck – trapped in his nightmare until he found a way out. He had lost all of his ghost powers, he had lost all of his energy. The only ghostly thing about him right now was his appearance. He looked like a pale human with glowing green eyes and white hair. A pale little teenager that barely had enough energy to move.

The creature that had taken over his life was coming to finish him off. Once he was out of the way, it would be able to take over his life permanently. Not just in this stupid nightmare, but in real life as well. He would cease to exist. He would die. And there was nothing he could do about it.

So he sat there and cried.

He had imagined his end any number of ways. Getting blasted by Valerie was one that played through his mind on a number of occasions. Getting sliced up by Skulker, doomed by any number of ghosts, destroyed by Plasmius, or even getting ripped painfully apart by his parents were all common nightmares. But those were all ways of dying that he had come to terms with – he had accepted. Dying quietly in his dreams was not one of them. No one would know that he was gone. No one would care.

The creature would just step into his shoes, into his life, and take over. Until it got bored. Then it would leave, and his family and friends would be thrown into chaos. They would suffer. And it would be all his fault.

He was one of the more powerful ghosts in the ghost zone, and getting more powerful as the days wore on. And yet, here he was, cowering in the shadow of a ghost that was so weak it couldn't even manifest itself without a host. It was depressing. It was humiliating. It was hard to believe.

There was a way to win. The creature had said so itself. He had to find the key to getting out of this dream. It had said that the key was something that he always had, but never thought about. Always carried with him, but never touched. Always had known, but never told anyone. It had to be something.

Or it might be nothing. It might have just said those things to torture him. To give him a moment's worth of hope before utterly destroying him.

It was rather academic since it was too late. He didn't look up when he heard its footsteps on the stairs. He didn't look up when the footsteps reached the ground and started towards him. He didn't look up when he could feel it standing over him. However, he couldn't quite suppress the flinch when a hand reached out to touch his shoulder.

He lifted his tear-stained face and stared into his mother's eyes. She was looking at him with such compassion. She made a snorting noise and reached for a handkerchief. She wiped his cheeks and gave him a quick smile. "So, ghost." She sat back onto her heels and watched him for a second. "What has got you so down?"

"My life is over," he mumbled after a minute. He put his head back down on his arms, trying to hide the fact that another tear had escaped his eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She settled down next to him.

"Why do you care?" He lifted his head, surprised at how painful and sharp his voice had come across. He didn't mean to try and scare her. He didn't want her to leave… not yet.

She stared at him for a moment. "I don't know," she finally murmured. "For some reason, something I can't explain, I care." She pushed his long, white hair out of his eyes and flashed him a quick smile. "I'm here to listen if you want to talk."

He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to put her into the position of knowing the truth. It was better if she didn't. She was just a dream anyway. But he found himself talking, spilling the story out. He told her that the creature upstairs wasn't her son – it was some ghost that had pulled them into a dream. That creature was going to kill him and take her son's place. Not just in this dream world, but in the real world as well. He told her about the key. That he could win if he figured it out.

He expected her to laugh, or to try and shoot him, or something. But she just stared at him and nodded. "He has been acting very strangely the past few months. That would explain it."

She couldn't accept it that fast, he wondered. He watched her for a moment. Her eyes sparkled slightly, down beneath the surface. She was playing with him – not really believing him but willing to go along with the story of awhile. She used to do that a lot when he had been little. He sighed, a small smile escaping his sour mood.

"So if this monster is trying to take over my son, why did he yank you into this dream and not my son?"

He stared off at the wall for a few moments. He was going to die in a few minutes anyway. She wasn't really his mother. It was just four words and he could die with his conscience a little cleaner. What did he have to lose?

"Because," he whispered, mustering up the courage to say the four words that would forever change his world. "I am your son."

She laughed softly, then looked over at him. He met her eyes for the first time in a while, and bit his lip. Another ectoplasmic tear trickled down his cheek. A smile grew inside of him. Even if she didn't believe him, he had told her. She knew. He rolled his eyes and stared up at the stairs, where the steady sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.

It was a very soft death knoll for a kid who would soon be a full ghost.

* * *

It appeared at the bottom of the stairs, still wearing its Danny disguise. It looked surprised to see his mother sitting next to his side. But then it shrugged, and continued forwards. In its hand was that stick-like object with glowing green swirls running up the sides. It stopped in front of him and dropped into a squat.

"This," it said, "is a very powerful device that I appropriated from Pariah Dark a few centuries ago. It allows me to take over the life of another ghost, for however long I wish to." It flipped the stick from one hand to the other, watching his green eyes following its path. "You, ghost, are going to be the most powerful being in the ghost zone one day. I want that to be me. You should be proud."

He didn't feel proud. He felt slightly sickened. "If you are going to kill me, do it already," he snapped. He didn't like people or ghosts that went on and on.

It rocked backwards on its heels and grinned menacingly at him. "Oh, don't worry. Your death is coming quickly enough." It turned to look at his mother. "Why don't you go upstairs and I'll deal with the ghost?"

He turned to look over at his mother as well. She was staring at the creature, thoughts flickering behind her eyes. She glanced back at him, then back at it, her forehead furrowing in thought. It soon became clear that she wasn't going to answer its question.

It sneered softly. "Fine. I'll destroy him with you here. It's not like there's anything you can do about it lady. I still don't know why you are here with me, but it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean by that?" he spoke up. "She's not supposed to be here?"

It laughed. "It's your dream. I've never had another person in the dream-world before with my hosts. It was diverting way to pass the time, anyway."

"What are you going to do with her?" he asked. This was interesting… she wasn't supposed to be in this dream? Where did she come from then? A vague thought clicked in his mind. Perhaps there was something to that.

"You shouldn't care." Its eyes seemed to glow red for a moment. "Enough of this. Say goodbye, Danny."

He closed his eyes and braced himself for the ending of his life. He still couldn't believe it was going to end like this. He was supposed to grow up and become a hero, not die as a teenager in his own basement. He…

"Danny!" he heard his mother scream, interrupting his flow of pitiful thoughts. He snapped his eyes open just quick enough to see the blast of ecto-energy slam into the creature's side. His mother was standing over on the other side of the lab, steaming Fenton Blaster in her hands. She stared at him for a moment, then turned back to the creature impersonating her son.

"You kept me locked up in this dream for months!" she seethed, punctuating her sentence with blasts from the ecto-weapon. The creature snarled at her, but it was being pushed backwards with each blast. "You tortured my son! You lied to me. And then you tried to kill him!" Her last blast lifted it off its feet and onto the stairs leading up to the kitchen.

He struggled to his feet, following his raging mother up the stairs. The creature was retreating, tipping the kitchen table over and hiding behind it. It snarled at his mother as he got to the top of the stairs and leaned against the door jam. He was so tired. But he was in the position to see it pick up a discarded ecto-weapon off the floor. He could see the grin on its face. One shot was all it would take. She, a mere human, wouldn't be able to take more.

He didn't even think. He didn't even realize he was moving until he was half-way across the kitchen. He didn't have the energy to do more than barrel straight into the creature. That would have to do. He was just steps away when it noticed his approach. With a gleeful shout, it swung the stick around and slammed it into his side just before they collided.

He screamed at the mountain of pain brought on by such a tiny stick. His mind felt like it was about to explode. "Mom!" he shrieked.

"Danny!" he heard his mom call faintly, and then the universe exploded into a million colors. The colors flickered around his mind like butterflies for a few precious moments, then the world went black.

* * *

He was dead. He had been hit by the creature's stick and had been blown to bits. There was not other way to explain how he was feeling. He didn't feel tired, or sick, or hurt, or anything of that nature. He felt… good. He was laying on something soft, and it smelled nice. At least he had died and gone someplace good, he told himself. It could be worse.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"Get up Danny!" he heard Jazz scream through the door. "You're going to be late for school again!"

"What?" he mumbled, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He was laying on his bed, sleepily rubbing his eyes. He relaxed slowly. It had all been a dream after all. It had all be so real though.

He rolled out of bed and fumbled on some clothes. Tramping down the stairs for breakfast, he passed his sister racing back upstairs. "Why are you and Mom so out of it this morning?" she yelped when she saw his mess of hair and rumpled clothes. "Did you both get no sleep?"

He paused, staring up at Jazz's retreating form. "Mom got no sleep last night?" he whispered to himself. He wrinkled his forehead, wondering.

In the kitchen, his mom was busy making cookies for that afternoon. She smiled when she saw him. "Morning, sweetie!"

"Morning," he replied, smiling at her. He had to know. What that all real? Did she remember it? Or had it been in his head? "Did you have any strange dreams last night?" He asked her really smoothly, trying to hide the expectation from his voice.

She glanced over her shoulder. "Dreams, sweet heart? What kind of dreams?" She watched him for a moment before going back to her cooking.

He shuffled his feet. He didn't want to get her onto a track about ghosts. She and Dad would be setting up equipment in his room to monitor his dreams within the hour if he brought the dream up. He sighed. "Never mind." She didn't remember anyway. He was sure of it.

She handed him a breakfast bar and shooed him out the door. "You're late already. Hurry and catch up to your friends."

He only made it a few feet before he stopped and turned around. "You're the greatest, you know that?" he asked softly.

She smiled hugely at him. "Love you too sweetie. See you after school!"

She watched him walk away. Then she sighed and headed back into the kitchen. There, she pulled out a drawer and picked up an object hiding in the drawer that she had found on the floor that morning. It was a smallish stick with green, vaguely glowing swirls on it.

She tapped it slowly against her hand as she wandered into the living room. Stopping before the bookcase, she reached out and picked up the picture of herself and Danny when he was a little younger. She loved this picture.

She could remember how she had woken up very early this morning in a panic. She had raced over to his room and had stood over him, watching him sleep for hours. It had finally occurred to her that he had found the key he had been looking for. A smile flickered over her features. He hadn't even known it.

_The key was something that he always had, but never thought about. Always carried with him, but never touched. Always had known, but never told anyone._

The key had been his love for her.


	2. The Daydream (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The creature is back... with Vlad and the creature plotting together, will Danny be able to save the world and the ghost zone from utter annihilation?

Danny was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the small object he had found in a box in the attic. It was very, very familiar. A small stick, black as night, except for strange, green swirling marks traveling up and down its sides.

Danny remembered it well. But this little stick shouldn't exist. It couldn't exist.

He shivered. The nightmare swirled up in his head, unbidden. _His own eyes, staring back at him. The creature, informing him that it was going to take over the world using Danny's body and abilities. The creature, trying to destroy his mother_.

Danny thunked his head down on the table. It had only been a nightmare. It wasn't real.

_Was it?_

He twirled the stick between his fingers like a baton. If it had just been a nightmare, then what was this stick? Why was it in the attic? Maybe he had seen it as a child, and it had merely resurfaced in his dream?

He bit his lip, staring off into space. This was making his head hurt. He shook his head. _It was just a nightmare you had months ago_, he chided himself. _Stop stressing over it_.

There was only one problem with his theory. This particular nightmare refused to go away. It was more realistic than any nightmare he had ever had before. It was more like a memory than anything else. And it was haunting him.

_Maybe I should talk to Jazz…_ he hesitated when thumping footsteps rattled the house. Danny dropped the stick into his lap, fixing an innocent expression on his face before his father tramped through the door.

"Danny!" he bellowed, his face lighting up. "Have you seen the Ghost Gabber?"

_Yes_, Danny answered in his mind._ I assume it's still fifteen feet below the foundation – right where I left it_. Out loud he responded, "No, Dad. Haven't seen it all day."

"Aw…" Jack moaned. "I've searched the whole house."

"Why do you want it?" Danny wondered.

"Well," Jack's eyes brightened, "I made those cool, new modifications…" Danny's mind interrupted with a sarcastic, "_I know. That's why it's under the house_," but Jack continued unfazed, "and I wanted to bring it with us to show V-man."

Danny winced as he remembered. The Trip. "Do we have to go?"

"You know we've been planning it for months, Danny, ever since that incident with the ecto-acne. Besides, Vladdie has really been looking forward to us coming!"

"I know," Danny muttered. _He's probably got a wonderful plan up his sleeve to steal Mom, get rid of you, and turn me into his perfect son._

"Keep an eye open for the Ghost Gabber while you pack, son." Jack continued on his way through the house, searching for his precious toy.

"I will," Danny whispered, and then his eyes lit up. He grinned. _Maybe I will 'find' the Ghost Gabber just in time for Dad to show the 'cool new modifications' to Vlad. _He snickered. _I'll just make sure to keep it in my bag until we get there so he doesn't get the chance to show them to me_.

Danny pushed away from the table, hesitating when the black and green stick hit the floor. He scowled. _I forgot_. He picked up the stick, staring at it.

Then he sighed. _I'll think about it later_. Danny left the kitchen to go and pack for the least exciting trip of the year, the stick in his hand.

* * *

Buried deep in the recesses of its host's mind, a creature older than time opened its eyes. It could once again feel the _palonegro_ – the other half of itself. Slowly, ever so slowly, it stretched out a tendril of thought and tenderly caressed the mind of its host. This mind was human, it knew. It had only taken over the minds of ghosts before.

What could it do to a human? The creature felt the sparks firing in the host's brain. Carefully, it touched a spark, redirecting it. Its host suddenly dropped the pile of clothes that had been in its arms.

The creature grinned, pleased. This was not so different from a ghost. The creature spread its vague form through its host's brain, closing its eyes and starting to learn what sparks did what. It would take awhile, the creature knew. This brain was very complex. It needed to learn fast. There was an item that the host needed to pack.

Soon, the host would belong to it. Forever.

* * *

As the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle motored down the freeway, Danny sat in the back, pondering his future. There was no way he was going to get out of this trip; they were almost to Wisconsin already. So, he needed a plan of action. He put his feet up on the RV's table and closed his eyes. He wasn't so good at the planning ahead thing… that was Sam and Tucker's department. But he was slowly coming to realize that having a plan was a good idea.

Vlad would have a careful plan all set up for him; there was no doubt about that. Danny had been thinking about it the entire trip. There really was no way of knowing what Vlad would do – other than the fact that he would do _something_ to try and steal Maddie, kill Jack, or turn Danny against the world. Since he knew that Vlad was up to _something_, he really should have a plan to defend against Vlad's _something_.

There were too many _something_s. _How do you plan to stop something when you don't know what's coming?_ Danny sighed. _I'll just need to plan for everything…_ His eyes slowly opened and he stared up at the ceiling as he thought that one through. _Okay. No. That's impossible. I just need a killer plan that will work on anything Vlad throws at me. _He rolled his eyes. _Yeah. That's possible._

His eyes drifted over towards his pack. Deep in the depths of the red bag, surrounded by haphazardly folded shirts, the Ghost Gabber was safely tucked away. In a pocket of the bag, he had included the batteries. _Maybe…_ he wondered. _Maybe I could use that…_

He was in the middle of debating how to use the Ghost Gabber when his hand twitched. Danny broke out of reverie to stare at his hand. It twitched again.

"What the…" he whispered. Then, to his amazement, his hand clenched into a fist and lifted itself off the table. He glanced over at Jazz, who was deep in her book. Then he turned back to his hand, which was curling and uncurling his fingers. He could feel it moving – but he wasn't telling it to move.

Then his other hand twitched. Danny flinched slightly as his other hand started to move on its own. "Stop it," he hissed, forcing his hands back down onto the table. He glared at his hands, his mind firmly in control once more. After a few minutes, he relaxed slightly.

Danny jumped when his sister suddenly spoke up. "How much farther?"

Jack answered, his voice glum. "We'd be there by now if Maddie would have let me drive."

"Now Jack, we talked about this," Maddie soothed.

"I know," he mumbled back. Then he turned around and glanced at Jazz. "We just passed through Madison. It'll be about half an hour, Jazzy-pants."

"Please don't call me that," Jazz muttered. "It's Jazz. Just Jazz."

Danny snorted. "Like he's ever listened to you before." He grinned at Jazz's angry glare.

"Whatever," she whispered and then her eyes narrowed. "What have you been doing this entire trip? You've been staring off into space." A smile flickered across her face. "Thinking about your _girlfriend_?" she teased.

"Sam's not my girlfriend!" he snapped back.

"I never said who, Danny," Jazz announced, pleased.

Danny scowled. "Stop it, Jazz."

After a few seconds of silence, Jazz spoke again. "What are you going to do to him?"

"What?" Danny asked, his mind still trapped, rather annoyingly, on the idea of Sam being his girlfriend.

"To Vlad. You two have some ghostly rivalry going on, that much I know."

"_Ghostly_ rivalry? He's tried to kill me, Jazz. Why does that make it a _ghostly_ rivalry?"

"Because of how much you enjoy plotting against him. You've been quietly sitting there, thinking about it for nearly eight hours. You know, normal humans would go punch him and be done with it or something. You two drag on this rivalry and bring it into a definitely ghostly level."

Danny quirked up an eyebrow, but stayed quiet.

"I mean, you've long since stopped trying to outright kill each other. Now you plan – almost obsessively, mind you – his downfall. Not that you'll really take him out, you just like to plan. Face it, Danny – you're not treating Vlad like a human anymore. You're starting to treat him like a ghost."

Danny grinned softly. "He is a ghost, Jazz."

"He's different from Skulker and Ember, Danny. He's a halfa. Don't forget that."

"I won't, Jazz."

Jazz stared at him. "So… what did you have planned for your _ghostly_ rival?"

Danny chuckled and folded his arms across his chest, already forgetting how strange his hands had been acting just a few minutes before. "Lots."

* * *

In its host's brain, the creature sighed. This human host would not bend to its will like the ghosts had in the past. The human still had much more control than it. It needed a plan. The creature started to shuffle through its host's memories.

_Perfect_, the creature thought, its mind seizing on several items that the host had packed and brought on the trip. A vision of Vlad Masters, otherwise known as Plasmius, drifted through its mind. _The perfect plan_.

* * *

In the Fenton RV, Danny leaned back, a grin on his face as his plan for Vlad fell into place. "Perfect," he whispered, picturing a few of the items he had packed in his suitcase. "The perfect plan."

* * *

Together, they chuckled, waiting eagerly for Vlad's mansion to appear on the horizon.

* * *

The Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle turned up the drive towards Vlad's mansion, previously home to the Wisconsin Dairy King and decorated like an ode to the cheese-heads of the world. Danny grinned, his mind working overtime, finalizing his plans against his arch-enemy.

"You are so a ghost," Jazz hissed in his ear.

"What?" he blinked, glancing over at her.

"You're going to meet your arch-rival, one of the few people that can actually beat you, and you're _smiling_?" Jazz raised an eyebrow. "That is so ghost. You're not that scared of him anymore. Now you're just being malicious."

Danny wrinkled his nose, thinking about it. Finally he shrugged. "So? I've got a few ghostly personality quirks. I am half ghost. The fact that a normal human wouldn't spend hours on a plan to destroy his arch-nemesis doesn't make it _wrong_ Jazz. Just different."

Jazz settled back into her chair, shaking her head. She grabbed her notebook and started to write.

"Jazz," Danny moaned, "are you writing about me again?"

"That was a major breakthrough, Danny."

"I hate it when you study me like that. I'm not some experiment."

Jazz looked up from her notes. "I know. But it's important that I understand how you work and think. That way, I can help you. I need to be able to know if something ever goes wrong with you."

"I'm _fine_, Jazz."

"We're here!" Jack bellowed from the front, rattling any reply Jazz had out of her head. "And look! V-man's waiting for us!"

He could hear his mother sigh all the way from the front. "Yes, we're here." She sounded less than enthused.

The RV pulled up and came to a stop. Jack was the first one out of the RV, his orange jumpsuit glowing in the bright afternoon sunlight. Maddie followed a bit more sedately. Danny rolled his eyes. "Well. Hopefully we won't be here long before Vlad does something to annoy Mom and she 'forces' us to leave," he grinned at Jazz.

She laughed, heading down the stairs. Danny stood up to follow, but his feet suddenly stopped working. Danny wrinkled his eyebrows, staring down at his feet. _Move_, he commanded sourly. Nothing.

Suddenly, his mouth started to move. Danny jumped in surprise. _What the…_ _again?_ Danny struggled for a second before reclaiming his body. Danny gazed down at his shoes, picking up one foot, then the other, and wriggling his toes.

"Danny, come on!" Jazz yelled, poking her head up into the RV. She blinked at him for a second. "Your shoes are really tied if that's what you're wondering. Now move!"

He slipped out of the RV, turning his attention to the tall man that turned to smile evilly at him. "Hi Vlad," Danny grinned. His hand twitched, fingers curling into a ball. Danny scowled at them, forcing them back open. Vlad was talking to Maddie when he glanced back up. "Vlad," he whispered to himself, "are you doing this to me?"

Vlad turned to address them all, Maddie pulling her hand out of Vlad's. "You all must come up and see my new foyer. The old one was destroyed by a meddlesome white-haired ghost a few months back and I had to all but rebuild it." Vlad sent Danny a glare.

"Too bad the ghost got away, huh Vlad?" Danny smirked. "Betcha hadn't planned for that."

"Lead the way, V-man!" Jack bellowed, heading up towards the mansion and leaving Vlad behind.

Vlad rolled his eyes, holding a hand out to Maddie. "My dear…"

Maddie ignored the hand, turned and strode up towards the mansion, Jazz and Vlad trailing behind her.

Danny followed, but his mind suddenly stabbed at him. Danny tried to stop, but his feet kept moving him towards the mansion. He opened his mouth to say something to Jazz, but his mouth slammed itself back shut. Deep in his mind, Danny struggled to regain control of his body. _Knock it off!_ he screamed at himself. _Stop!_

Finally, he managed to force himself to stop. Danny stood in the middle of the path up to Vlad's house, his eyes screwed shut, trembling. _What is going on?_ he yelled in his mind.

Laughter floated up through him. An alien voice, a very familiar alien voice, whispered into his ear. _Remember me, Danny? Did you think you'd won? Did you think it was just a dream? Think again._

Danny, unable to move, screamed in his head as the creature right out of his nightmare struggled for control.

* * *

"No," Danny whispered, "You're not real."

_I am very real, Danny. I've been hiding in your head all this time, waiting_.

"No," he repeated adamantly. "I'm not dreaming. You're not here." He struggled with a wave of fear that threatened to crash over him as memories of that horrific nightmare blew through his mind.

_Oh, very delicious emotions, boy_, the creature hissed happily, _and it's rather a bit of a surprise for me as well that I'm here. I've never been half in control before. Than again, I've never been in a hybrid before either._

"What? Weren't you controlling me last time?"

_No, child… last time it was just a nightmare. This time it is very real. I do enjoy being partially in control._

"You're not in any control," Danny snarled.

_Yes? Then move your feet, child. I dare you."_

Danny didn't even bother to try. "Get out of me."

_I'm afraid I cannot do that. I cannot exist without a host…_

"I don't care."

_So heartless at so young an age._ The creature chuckled. _And, I truly cannot leave. I am not in complete control of you, thus, I have no control over my leaving_.

"Then stay out of my head." Danny struggled for a second, then picked up his foot and moved a step closer to Vlad's mansion. "You can't control me."

_You are right, boy. I can't._

Suddenly, the force working against him vanished. Danny stumbled at the sudden return of control, falling to his knees. He quickly picked himself up and started to walk towards the house.

_You are too powerful._

Danny shook his head, refusing to respond.

_But I can make your life a harder one until something better comes around_. The creature smiled in his mind.

"What?" Danny hissed.

_You'll see, child_. Then the voice and the feeling of the creature faded out of his mind, leaving Danny standing confused on the path.

Danny shivered, sticking his hands into the pockets of his coat. It might be mid-afternoon, but it was still Wisconsin in November and it was freezing. His fingers touched the object he had carefully been planning about all afternoon. Danny pulled it out, turning the Ghost Gabber over in his fingers. "Hm…" he bit his lip. Pausing, he stared up at Vlad's mansion. "Perhaps playing a trick on him right now is a bit foolish."

Without him noticing, his hand reached into his pocket, drawing out the batteries for the Ghost Gabber. While Danny was staring up at the mansion, his mind trying to wrestle with whether or not to scrap his plans, his fingers slit the batteries into the device. Danny let out a breath, decided to not play the trick, and dropped the Ghost Gabber back into his pocket.

Then he headed up towards the mansion, jogging a bit to warm up. When he reached the doors, Jack pulled him inside and began to give him an overview of everything he could remember from college about the objects in the foyer. Danny glanced over at Vlad, who just smiled vaguely back.

The creature laughed joyfully. Phase one was done, and even better – the boy didn't know it! Perfect! On to phase two. The clueless child wouldn't even notice when it made the boy drop that wonderful machine his father had built somewhere that Vlad would be sure to notice it.

Now. For phase three it needed its _palonegro_ back. That would take some work. It had been packed into the boy's suitcase against his knowledge. All it needed was for the boy to be holding it…

The creature settled down from its joyful spinning and began to plan.

* * *

Danny sank into the thick armchair in front of the movie screen after fruitlessly searching for his sister for over an hour. He was trying to wipe thoughts of that creature out of his mind by watching old reruns of the Packers games. "Now, if only Vlad had something worth watching…" he sighed.

Vlad was currently off with Danny's parents somewhere chatting. Danny tried to relax. Vlad wouldn't be here to bother him for a bit, and there really wasn't anything the creature could do to him when he was sitting still watching football games. And whenever he managed to find Jazz, he'd be able to spill out the whole story of the creature and they would be able to figure out what to do. That would be that.

"_Bret Farve goes back for the catch…_" the projector droned in the background. Danny felt his eyes getting heavier and he went into a dazed stupor. There really wasn't anything more boring than watching the Packers lose.

"Daniel!" came the sudden shout, making Danny jump and fall to the ground.

"What?" he yelped, struggling to his feet, only to stop and stare when he saw Plasmius standing behind him. "What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Plasmius pulled something out from behind his back: a small hand-held device with blinking green lights and a speaker. "Did you think you would be funny?"

"_Did you think you would be funny. Fear me_," the Ghost Gabber intoned.

Danny stared in amazement at his parent's invention. _How did Vlad get that?_ he wondered.

"I assume you thought it would be _hilarious_ for me to have to explain this to your dear mother, hmm, Daniel?" Vlad glared at him, his soulless red eyes flaring with a ghostly light.

"_I assume you thought it would be hilarious, fear me, for me to have to explain, fear me, this to your dear mother hmm Daniel. Fear me_."

Vlad's eyes burned, his fingers clenching around the device. "And, to make things worse, your idiot of a father made this infernal device ectoblast-proof!"

"_And, to make things worse, fear me, your idiot of a father made this infernal, fear me, device ectoblast-proof. Fear me."_

Silence stretched between them as Danny struggled to process the fact that Vlad had ended up with the Ghost Gabber.

"Explain, Daniel. Now."

"_Explain, Daniel. Fear me. Now. Fear me_," the device dutifully copied.

Danny's mouth opened, cocky and witty banter escaping him. "I… I… I didn't do it."

The Ghost Gabber immediately spoke up. "_He didn't. Fear me. I did. Fear me_."

Vlad opened his mouth to rant some more but he fell silent, staring down at the device. Danny's stared at the blinking lights.

"What?" Danny whispered, confused.

"_You can hear me. Fear me. Interesting. Fear me_." The Ghost Gabber's voice was monotone, but it still sent shivers down Danny's back.

"Who is speaking?" Vlad asked.

"_Who is speaking. Fear me_," the machine repeated.

Silence fell once again between the two, the sounds of the football game in the background coming through loud and clear.

"Maybe it's gone," Danny said, looking around.

"_I am not gone. Fear me."_

"Then where, and who, are you?" Vlad demanded.

_"Then where are who are you. Fear me."_

After a few moments of silence, Vlad turned to the confused looking young hybrid. "Speak up, Daniel. Apparently, our mystery ghost only speaks when you do."

_"Speak up Daniel. Fear me. Our mystery ghost only speaks when you do apparently. Fear me."_

Danny's brain seemed to freeze as he processed that. Connections were firing in his brain, driving points closer together. The creature was in his brain, the Ghost Gabber was repeating something he wasn't saying, and there were no other ghosts in the room. The Ghost Gabber was repeating words from _somebody_…

"No…" he hissed, then stopped dead, already knowing it was too late. He had triggered the Ghost Gabber.

_"I am a ghost, fear me, that is trapped in our young hybrid's mind. Fear me."_

Vlad's eyes widened. "What is going on, Daniel?"

_"What is going on Daniel. Fear me."_

"Don't listen," Danny started, then clamped a hand over his mouth.

_"I would be eternally grateful, fear me, if you would release me. Fear me."_

"Vlad, don't!" Danny spoke, knowing that his secret was out, "The creature is pure evil and wants to rule the Ghost Zone!"

_"I am very old and powerful, fear me, and my resources and knowledge would be a great asset to one as powerful as yourself. Fear me. I am more than willing to arrange a deal. Fear me."_

"An interesting proposition," Vlad smiled, "I would like to hear more."

_"An interesting proposition, fear me. I would like to hear more. Fear me."_

Danny had heard enough. Vlad and the creature working together? That was a disaster waiting to happen. He tried to turn around to run away, only to find his feet and legs refused to work. He could feel the creature once again slowly spreading through his mind like thick syrup, stealing control. "Stop," Danny hissed, struggling to regain control.

_"I cannot hold out for long. Fear me. If you could restrain the boy, fear me, I would be grateful. Fear me."_

An evil smirk split Vlad's face. "That I can do," Vlad agreed. "Then, we can talk."

_"That I can do. Fear me. Then we can talk. Fear me."_

A red ectoblast formed in Plasmius' hand. Danny's eyes widened, his mental struggle for control becoming more and more desperate. "No, Vlad, don't!" he pleaded.

_"We will rule the world, Plasmius. Fear me. I have seen your potential through this child's eyes. Fear me. Help me to help you. Fear me."_

Danny closed his eyes and barely contained the scream when the ectoblast slammed him across the room and into the wall. He heard his head crack sickeningly, and the world swirled into blackness.

* * *

The creature sat in the dark of Danny's unconscious mind. That had been an unforeseen stroke of luck. What a marvelous machine – much more important than the original plan had expected it to be. The creature smiled happily. Phase three was going to come much quicker than it had figured. Wonderful. The young hybrid almost belonged to it.

* * *

Vlad sat at his workstation, peering at the odd green and black stick that was lying before him. "What did you say this was again?"

"It's the _palonegro_," Danny replied, his voice cold and distant. He turned his head, staring around the lab. "What an interesting place, Plasmius."

"Remember our deal, son?" Vlad murmured, scanning the stick with various instruments.

Danny sighed. "Yes, _father_. I have not broken a promise in ten thousand years. I am unlikely to start now." In Danny's mind, something was stirring, waking itself up from a deep and dark slumber.

"What is the point of this thing again?" Vlad sneered down at the green and black object, his scans showing the stick to be… a stick. Nothing more.

"That is one of the most powerful objects ever created. The _palonegro_." One of Danny's eyebrows rose. "You seem less than convinced."

"Modern science has had its say. This," Vlad picked up the stick and turned to shake it in front of Danny's eyes, "is a stick."

"Does that change the terms of our bargain, father?" Danny asked.

Vlad's eyes blazed. "No, son, it does not."

Danny nodded, his red eyes blank and dead. "Good. Then you will begin to modify the _palonegro_ to my specifications?" Danny's head tipped to the side as he gazed at Vlad.

"Yes, yes." Vlad waved his hand, setting the stick back down. "And you will hold up your part of this bargain. I turn this stick into a pendant, and you write down that information you promised."

"Precisely." Danny smiled, but his smile did not reach his eyes.

Vlad sighed, twisting back to his workstation to examine the stick more closely. "You know," he said after a minute, "it is rather disconcerting appear to be talking to Daniel… and yet really be talking to an ancient creature."

The creature made Danny's body smile broader. "If it is too disconcerting, then perhaps our bargain need end here."

"No," Vlad pronounced.

Danny's body shrugged, the creature speaking again. "If you wish. I will not back out of the bargain."

Then, it left Vlad to contemplate the apparently plain, ordinary stick lying in front of him.

* * *

The creature paced over the other side of the room, its mind spinning with its plans. The _palonegro_ was undergoing its second transformation. Soon, the second piece of its power would be in place. It could barely suppress the evil smile that was forming across its features. The older halfa had no idea what he was doing, and what he was about to unleash.

In its mind, the _thing_ that had been slowly waking up finally managed to pull itself together enough to form words. _What's going on?_ it whispered slowly, confused.

"Good morning, boy," the creature murmured under its breath, sitting down on a chair and starting to write down the information it had promised Vlad.

_Where am I?_

"You are locked away inside of _my_ mind now, young hybrid."

_What!_

The creature laughed softly, enjoying the feel of finally controlling the boy's body. "Your friend Vlad and I have come to an agreement. He has graciously given me a drug that suppresses your mind. In exchange, I have agreed to become his 'son' and apprentice."

_You can't do that!_ Danny's mental voice was startled.

"Why not?"

Danny was silent. _He's a crazed up fruit loop_, he finally came up with. Danny reached out, trying to regain control of his body, and was met with a blank wall.

"It's no use trying to get your body back, boy. As long as this drug is flowing through your veins, it is mine. You've lost, child."

Danny sank back in the creature's mind. _What can I do?_ he wondered to himself, his mind drawing up stupid plan after stupid plan. He sank to the ground in the creature's mind, pulling his knees up to his chest. _What can I do?_

The creature chuckled, feeling Danny retreat. "Phase three, done. On to phase four: lose the Fentons."

* * *

Jazz closed her eyes, listening to the headphones over her ears. She was trying to ignore the fact that she was in Wisconsin, on the property of her little brother's arch-enemy, lying in an RV equipped with all sorts of weapons to fight off dead things the average person didn't believe existed. Not contemplating these kinds of things kept her sane. Instead, she chose to think about her half-human, half-ghost little brother. She leaned back away from her notebook, rubbing her eyes. _Danny's been acting so weird lately_, she thought.

She opened her eyes and stared down at the notes she had taken. _The weird hand thing he was doing on the drive, not moving his feet, stopping on the sidewalk like that… what's going on?_ Jazz picked up her pencil and started tapping the eraser against her notebook in time to the music she was listening to. Her gaze drifted towards the mansion where the rest of her family was. _Does it have something to do with Vlad?_

Sighing, Jazz closed her notebook and stashed it in her bag, dropping her mp3 player in as well. _I can't avoid them forever_.

She yanked the door shut behind her as she exited the RV. Shivering slightly in the frigid autumn air, Jazz started towards the mansion. About half way there, she stumbled, her right leg bursting into pain. Stifling a scream, she sat down, staring at her leg.

Her leg was broken. The bone was obviously twisted from the way her leg was laying. Jazz, her fear growing, gazed at her surroundings. She hadn't tripped on anything. Her leg hadn't been broken before now. How had she broken her leg? Finally, her panic burst through as she screamed for her parents.

A chuckle was lost in her screaming. High above her, invisible in the sky, the creature, now known as Danny Phantom, was grinning from ear to ear. Raging in the creature's mind, completely ignored, Danny was screaming and fuming about it hurting his family and what he would do if it touched anybody in his family ever again.

Not that he had any say in the matter.

* * *

"Mom? Dad?" the creature made Danny's voice call out as he approached his parents' room. Danny struggled for a moment, trying to get his feet to stop. Nothing. Danny's hands pushed the door open and his head peeked into the room.

"What, sweetie?" his mom asked, turning from her packing to look at him.

"Would it be okay if I stayed here with Vlad for a few more days?" Danny gasped in horror, screaming in his head. _No, no, no, no, no!_

Maddie hesitated, putting her shirt carefully into her suitcase. When she asked, "Why?" after a minute, it was clear from her tone that she was going to say 'No.'

_Yes!_ Danny cheered, dancing in his head.

"Vlad said he wanted to show me some stuff," he heard his voice say through his mental cheering. Danny scowled as his dad walked over to stand next to his mom. Danny's eyes turned to his father. "I've been looking forward to it for _days_, Dad," his voice pleaded. "You can take Jazz home now. Vlad said he'd send me home in two days."

"I don't know…" Maddie muttered.

"Oh come on, Mads!" Jack beamed. "It'd be good for him. And V-man said he'd send him home in a few days. It'd be fun. The trip back will be just you, me and Jazz!"

"Jack, you know how I feel about the kids being away from us."

"Oh, Maddie, you're just being overprotective. Vlad's not going to kill Danny or anything."

_Duh_, Danny hissed, _he wants to use me to take over the world. He needs me alive for that._ "Please Mom?" Danny's voice begged, "You know I'm usually the first to want to leave someplace. But I want to stay this time." _No I don't! Make me LEAVE!_

"Sweetie…" Maddie hesitated, walking over and looking him straight in the eyes. Danny could hear the creature chuckle in his mind as he watched Maddie's resolve crack. It was too bad that the creature had figured out how to make its red eyes look blue. Those red eyes would have given it away in a second.

Jack spoke up behind her. "I think it's a good idea. I vote he stays." Danny screamed in his mind. _Stop it! You're not helping!_

"Come on," Danny's voice continued. "Please? I'll keep the Fenton Cell Phone with me at all times. I'll call you the _second_ I want to come home or anything weird happens." The creature forced Danny's body down onto his knees. "Please?" he begged.

Maddie bit her lip. "Danny…" she paused again, uncertain.

"Maddie, we need to get Jazz to see a doctor," Jack continued. Danny butted in with a mental, _There's a doctor downstairs if Vlad really cared_. "And Danny is old enough to make some decisions. I think he'll be fine." Jack put his hand on Maddie's shoulder and smiled at her.

"Well…" Maddie sighed. "He is getting older…"

_NO! _Danny wailed, sinking to the floor of his mind. He knew the look his mother had on her face. It was the 'I'm about to give in even though it's a really bad idea' look she gave Jack every now and then. _Don't leave me here with this fruit loop! He's going to kill me!_

"You promise to keep the cell phone on all the time?"

_No!_ "Yes, Mom."

"You'll call every day? Every few hours?"

_Please don't leave me._ "Yes, I'll call you every couple of hours."

"And Vlad is really okay with this?"

_Duh. But that shouldn't matter. _"Yes. You can talk to him before you leave. Please? It's just for a couple of days. What could possibly go wrong in a couple of days?"

_The universe as we know it could end. I could destroy the world in a couple of day._ Danny sighed, knowing that the battle was lost. He didn't even get a say in the matter. Not really.

"Come on, Mads," Jack grinned at Danny, thinking he was helping. "Let your little boy grow up a bit."

_Dude. There goes your Father's Day gift. And every other gift depending on how the next few days go_, Danny groaned. The creature made Danny look up into his mother's crumbling eyes and watch as his last hope fell to pieces.

* * *

It was less than two hours later that the Fenton family (sans one son) was loaded up into the RV. Danny stood by the side of the road with Vlad, waving goodbye. Danny moaned in his head, hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand, desperately wishing this wasn't happening.

The creature turned Danny's head to glance up at Vlad with a smile. _Phase four: completed. Begin phase five. _"So. What's first, father?"

* * *

The creature flew through the Fenton Portal, zooming up into the skies of Amity Park long before the Fenton's RV would pull into town. It was looking for a girl. One that was very prominent in the boy's memories.

_Stay away from Valerie_, Danny hissed.

The creature chuckled, moving Danny's fingers up to fondle the black pendant that now hung on a chain around its neck. When the white-gloved fingers brushed against the dark wood, glowing green swirls jumped into view all around it. Instantly, the creature felt a wash of power flood through him. Its eyes closed in ecstasy, rejoicing in the enhanced feel of that power.

"Your body is so in tune with the power of the _palonegro_," the creature wondered, hanging in the sky. "It's incredible. I have never felt so much power."

Danny was silent, still mentally struggling to control any part of his body. If only he could blink an eye…

The creature's hand dropped, his eyes opening and scanning the sky for the huntress. "Where is she?"

_You flew all the way to Amity Park just to test out your toy?_ Danny tried to layer the comment with as much sarcasm as possible, but his fear for Valerie leaked through.

"Think of it as a positive thing, child. She will never accept you."

_One day, she will_.

"Stop lying to me, boy. You are in my mind – I know your thoughts."

Danny was silent, turning away from the real world and focusing in on himself. However, when he felt the creature give a surprised "Who have we here?", he refocused. _No!_ he cried.

The creature landed Danny's body on the street, smiling at the girl that was jogging towards them. "Danny!" she called. "What are you doing back? I though you said you'd be gone for a few more days?"

"I lied," the creature hissed. The girl had the most awful violet eyes. They reminded it of something… something from long ago…

_Sam! _Danny yelled. _Stay away!_

Sam laughed and came right up to the creature. "Right, Danny." She rolled her eyes. "What are you really doing back? Plasmius has some new plan?"

The creature glared at her, red eyes flaring. Sam blinked, backing up a few steps. "Danny?" she asked, confused.

"Stay away from me, witch," the creature snapped.

_Don't call her that!_

Sam took another hesitant step backwards. "What's wrong?"

The creature snarled, then suddenly stopped, an idea floating through its head. The most wonderful idea it had thought in many centuries. The creature fixed its gaze on the young Goth, its hand coming up to finger the _palonegro_, power flooding through it.

_No! Don't touch her! I'll do anything! _Danny pleaded, his mind racing.

"I'll test it on you," the creature sneered, "rather than that annoying Huntress."

"What?" Sam whispered.

Danny flung his mental self at the creature's mind, ripping and tearing for all he was worth. _No! Sam!_ he screamed. His fingers raked through neurons and glial cells, causing bloody scars to pop on the creature's mental body. The creature hissed in pain, slamming back at Danny, twisting and yanking Danny's mind into small ball of throbbing pain. Danny didn't really stand a chance – the creature had ten thousand years of practice, after all.

"Danny, no… please…" Sam begged, her violet eyes boring into it. The creature's red eyes narrowed at the sight of those violet eyes. They needed to be gone.

"I've always hated you," Danny heard his voice say. Danny screamed in his head, ignoring the pain, banging against the walls of his mind. "And now, you'll be out of the way forever."

His arm came up, a huge ectoblast forming in the palm of his hand. Danny cried, screaming for this not to happen. _Not to Sam… please… anybody else…_

"Bye-bye Samantha," his voice snarled, and the blast left his hand.

_NOOOO!_ Danny shrieked, wresting control from the creature for a spilt second. His arm twitched, sending the blast off-course… but not by enough. Danny caught a glimpse of her beautiful eyes widening in terror before the green blast slammed into her.

* * *

In his panic, Danny actually managed to move forward a few steps before the creature regained control. His trembling steps became purposeful and measured once more. The creature strolled Danny's body up to the prone form of the former Samantha Manson and gazed down at it in disgust.

In his mind, Danny sobbed uncontrollably. "I don't see what your problem is," his voice hissed. "She's basically fine. And you'll never have to worry about those ugly eyes anymore."

_Monster!_ Danny screamed.

"I suppose it is a bit of a problem, her not having a head, hm?" Danny's body knelt down beside the headless corpse of his best friend. The creature fixed on her, forcing Danny to see what had happened. He laughed at Danny's soundless torment. "Ah well." He reached out and dipped his fingers in the pool of blood that was forming around her still body. He touched the black _palonegro_ pendant around his neck, the blood on his fingers beginning to glow a spectral green. Then, green-red blood dripping from his fingers, he drew a circle on her stomach. "There, one small favor for you, child. She will never become a ghost tied to this world like us."

_Sam… no… please…_ Danny sobbed.

"Hm." The creature gazed at the blood left on his fingers. For a second, the creature was still, contemplating the mind that was crying inside of its mind. Then, it came to a decision. It needed to break this boy's spirit – he was still too powerful. Forcing a smile onto the boy's features, the creature brought its bloody hand up to its mouth and licked some of the blood off.

Danny pleaded. _Stop! I'll do anything. Just stop. Leave her alone._

"You know what I want, boy."

_I can't give you the ghost zone_, Danny murmured softly, still staring dazedly at the body of his best friend. _What else do you want?_

"You."

_Why me? Why can't you leave me alone?_

The creature sighed. "You are the most powerful ghost in existence. Well, not yet, I suppose. But you will be. I think I've told you this before. _You_, boy, are the key to ruling the ghost zone."

Danny sniffed, his eyes being forced to stare down at the bloody form of his friend. _I don't want to rule the ghost zone…_

"But I do." The creature licked another of its fingers clean, grinning in delight when Danny screamed and pulled farther away. "And through you, I can."

_Never…_ Danny whispered, but it was half-hearted and the creature knew it. _What more do you have to take from me? You can't make me._

"Ah. But you forget, boy, I know all about you. I have seen your memories. I know your thoughts. I know what more you have to lose." The creature dredged up memories of Danny's family and friends, forcing them into Danny's mind. It could feel Danny's resolve cracking; it could feel the boy breaking. But _breaking_ wasn't good enough. The child's spirit needed to be _broken_.

The creature pressed mercilessly down on its advantage. It grabbed those wonderful memories, and then changed them. It played the changed memories for the boy's enjoyment. Maddie, her lithe form broken and shattered on the ground in a puddle of blood. Jack, wonderfully ignorant Jack, sliced into pieces and strewn about that annoying lab of his. Jazz, her blank, dead eyes staring up into space as crows picked at her flesh. Tucker, buried under a pile of rubble, blood dribbling out from under the bricks. Valerie, dropped from up high and bursting like a balloon when she impacted the ground. Even Mr. Lancer, his bloody body staked up in the front of his classroom, rats nibbling at his toes. Over and over it played memories, dragging up new ones, showing the boy dozens of ways that everybody that ever mattered to him could die.

Deep inside its mind, Danny finally fell silent. He curled up into a tiny ball in the corner of the creature's mind and sobbed. For the first time, he tuned out the rest of the world. He didn't care anymore. Sam was dead. His parents had abandoned him. Danny put his arms over his head and closed his eyes, tears streaking down his cheeks as he desperately tired to ignore the images being forced on him. He shrank away, shriveling into nothing.

Outside, the creature grinned, stretching. "Finally!" it grinned, wiping the rest of the blood off on the girl's shirt before turning and walking away. "This body is _mine_."

* * *

The next few days passed by in a blur. The creature, now firmly in control of Danny's body, worked alongside Plasmius to create a plan to conquer the ghost zone. It hadn't heard a peep out of its host since Sam's death. Hopefully, the boy was broken for good and out of the way. It knew that the boy's spirit still existed, but it also knew that its previous hosts had shriveled and eventually disappeared completely. It just took time.

"So," the creature said, looking over at Plasmius with an eyebrow up. "Can I start?"

Vlad glanced at it, anger in his eyes. "What did I tell you to call me?"

The creature rolled Danny's eyes. "Can I start, _father_."

"We do it according to our plan, correct?"

"Yes, _father_." The creature put as much sarcasm into the boy's voice as possible. "But you do remember that once the ghost zone is mine, it is _mine_. You have no say in what happens."

Vlad looked up at the creature, his eyes hard. "I remember our bargain, son. Do remember yours."

The creature snarled at the accusation. "I have _never_ broken a bargain, Plasmius. In ten thousand years my word has been my bond. Do _NOT_ question it again." Inside its mind, the creature continued to rant. _And do not call me 'son.' I agree with my host in that regard. It is extremely annoying. And this 'father' thing is just wrong. You are far from my father and to play as one shows just how much of an idiot you truly are. Crazed up fruit loop indeed. To question my word…_

"Good," Vlad sneered, not knowing about the mental commentary his partner was currently engaged in. "Now, son," Vlad continued, not noticing the creature bristle slightly, "your first target is Walker and his prisons. Destroy everything. It is imperative that Walker is no longer part of the picture, understand?"

_I'm ten thousand years old, you ignoramus, of course I understand. I probably understand far better than you how important it is to get the prisons under control first_. "Yes, father," it sighed. _The father thing has to go. I'm a hundred centuries older than him._

"After destroying the prisons, take out the other ghosts of power. Ember, Technus, Fright Night, Ghost Writer…" Vlad hesitated slightly. "Skulker as well."

"Doesn't Skulker work for you?"

"He is a ghost. He needs to be taken out of the picture before he becomes a nuisance."

"Alright."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Alright…" he prompted.

The creature muttered angrily in its head. "Alright, _father_," he spat. _I NEVER should have agreed to that._ The creature was silent, staring at Vlad for a second as the halfa gazed at his map of the ghost zone. _The idiot still needs a map_, it sneered to itself. "What about Clockwork?"

"He needs to be taken out as well. Can you?"

The creature nodded Danny's head. "Of course. Danny is not aware of most of his abilities. I, being older, know that Danny can…" it broke off as Vlad interrupted him.

"Yes, yes. I believe you."

_Fool! _it screamed in its head. _You DARE to interrupt me!_ The creature could feel its anger rising to the surface. If it hadn't been part of the bargain for Vlad to remain safe, the idiot would be nothing more than a smoking crater by now. A fact that Vlad was blissfully unaware of.

"What are you waiting for, son?" Vlad scoffed. "Get moving!"

_Ignorant fruit loop. _The creature ranted in its head as it transformed Danny's body and flew itself through Vlad's portal. _That rude, impolite, stuck-up, no good… _the creature screamed inside of its head. _As soon as possible, that… that… fruit loop is going down. And HARD!_

* * *

Deep inside of the creature's mind, hidden back in a corner behind some forgotten memories of a long-ago math class, Danny snickered, listening to the creature rant and rave. He reached out a finger, very carefully nudging a few neurons to fire backwards, sending the creature into a deeper and deeper rage. _So. The creature thinks I'm broken?_

_Think again, bean-head._

_This is for Sam._

* * *

_The creature floated Danny's body towards Walker. The white skull-like face turned towards him. "What are you doing here, punk? Ready to serve your time?"_

"Your laws are nonsense," the creature grinned.

"The Law is not nonsense!" Walker hissed, his body swelling and growing.

The creature simply laughed. _What a pathetic ability_, it hissed to itself. _That would only scare somebody who doesn't know that he's no more powerful now than he was before. _"Laws only need to be followed when the lawmaker is stronger than the lawbreaker." The creature chuckled softly. "That's one of the most basic rules of the ghost zone, Walker. He who has the power to _enforce_ the rules gets to _make_ them."

"Punk!" Walker screamed, his hand swinging over to try and swat Danny to the ground.

The creature riffled through Danny's mind, searching for various abilities to defeat this rather weak ghost. On the one hand, it should be saving its energy for the stronger ghosts. On the other hand, however, it would be interesting to find out how much this body could do. The potential was astonishing. After even a few days, the creature was still finding hidden abilities buried deep in the host's mind. Some of those abilities had floored the creature when it had discovered them. Such as this one ability…

_No_. The creature hissed in its mind. _I'm saving that for Clockwork – not for this wretched excuse for ectoplasm_. Noting that the hand was about to hit it, the creature finally made a decision. It would use the basics. It hadn't fought any real battles using this body yet, and it wanted to make sure that it was up to the challenge.

It dodged the hand, coming up and under Walker's arm. Moving quickly, it flew towards Walker, slamming its fist into Walker's chin. As Walker was reeling, it formed an ectoblast in its hand, enhanced it by surrounding the basic green ectoplasm with a coating of ice, then blasted it straight into Walker's mouth.

Walker didn't stand a chance. The ectoplasm reached his stomach and exploded like a hand grenade, ripping Walker's stomach to shreds. As Walker disintegrated, the creature landed lightly on the ground, not at all winded from the rather short battle. All around it, weaker ghosts were scattering to the four corners of the ghost zone, relaying the tale of what had just happened.

The creature laughed out loud. "The answer is the _keys_ my friends," it spun around once, reveling in the rapidly decaying ectoplasm of its former enemy that was still falling around down like rain. "Find their key – their greatest strength. It's also their greatest weakness."

Its laugher died slowly, wiping a glob of Walker off of its forehead. "Yes. The keys." It reached up, fingering the _palonegro_ pendant that it wore around its neck. The green symbols swirled into life as its fingers played with it.

* * *

_Danny shivered, his mind filling with the images of the battle with Walker. Danny breathed out slowly, trying to ignore the fact that the creature had just completely obliterated one of the most powerful ghosts in the ghost zone _without even trying_. Slowly, carefully, Danny kept up with his plan. He reached out a finger, tapping a few neurons out of place._

He felt the creature giggle insanely, and Danny grinned. If there was one thing he had learned from Vlad and Valerie it was that fighting an insane, enraged enemy was easier than a calm, sensible one.

He reached out again, another neuron misfiring.

* * *

_Back in the ghost zone, the creature flew away from the spot where Walker had last stood. Soon, Walker's favorite, largest, and most feared prison came into view. As it hovered over the prison, it could see prison guards and prisoners fleeing for their lives into the depths of the ghost zone._

The creature laughed, making Danny's eyes blaze red with power. It pulled another of Danny's abilities out of its host's mind. "Run, little ghosts, run."

Then it took a deep breath, focusing its power onto its throat. It let loose a Ghostly Wail of enormous proportions. The chilling sound swept through the ghost zone – ghosts of all levels of power pausing in what they were doing to stare off towards the prisons, and then duck into their lairs and hide.

The prison did not fare well. Its walls crumbled into dust, prison cells disintegrating, and any unfortunate ghosts still inside the prison were annihilated in seconds. When the prison was gone, the creature did not stop its unreal wail. The very foundations of the prison – the entire island – shook and creaked and cracked. When the creature finally stopped, breathing deeply and fingering the _palonegro_ to recharge, the island the prison once stood on was nothing more than a few scattered boulders floating in the ghost zone.

The creature swooped Danny's body through the boulders, wasting a few minutes playing chicken with the moving, crashing rocks. When it finally came out of the remains of the prison island, it hovered in midair. "Beware!" it screamed, pulling on the Ghostly Wail to make its voice heard in every corner of the ghost zone. "For I am Criatura and I will be your ruler!"

* * *

"Technus…" the creature called, floating closer to the door of Technus' lair. "Technus… come out and play…"

The door remained firmly shut.

"Technus… are you in there?" the creature giggled softly.

"Nobody is home. Go away." The voice was muffled.

"Oh, yes. We have the braniac," the creature smiled. It reached out a silver-gloved hand and knocked on Technus' door. "Oh, come on Technus. It's not so bad."

"Technus is not here."

"If Technus is not here, then who is speaking?" The creature moved its hand to the old fashioned handle on the door and paused.

"Um…"

A spark jumped through its mind, and the creature hissed in anger, insane frivolity vanishing instantly. "Answer me you insolent ghost!"

"There's nothing here but us… computers…" Technus called back after a moment.

The creature wrenched the door open and stormed into the lair. "Liar!" it screamed, turning the entire lair into a frozen popsicle. Then, with a blast from its eyes, it destroyed everything – bits and pieces of frozen technology floating out the still open door and into the ghost zone.

Technus fared no better than his computers.

* * *

_Poor Technus_, Danny sighed, reviewing the "battle" that had taken place. _Evil and annoying as he was, he didn't deserve that_.

Danny hesitated, knowing that what he was doing was prompting the creature to destroy more and more ghosts. But, he needed to win. Danny flinched, but he forced himself to finish the thought. _Casualties of war. Necessary losses_.

But still, a tear trickled down his cheek for Technus as he reached out and redirected another carefully chosen neuron. _Nobody deserved that_.

* * *

After making a pit-stop in Ember's, the Fright Knight's, and the Ghost Writer's empty lairs, the creature landed on Skulker's island. It was quite annoyed that three of its targets had managed to hide from it. It had destroyed the lairs out of anger, but that was nothing compared to destroying the ghosts themselves. They could not hide forever.

"Whelp!" it heard shouted over the trees. The creature grinned. At least Skulker wasn't smart enough to run.

Skulker appeared, his latest battlesuit shiny and polished. He landed a good twenty feet away from the creature. "What are you doing here? Delivering a message from Plasmius?"

"Yeah, sure," the creature smiled, trying to trick Skulker into getting closer. "I have a message."

Skulker obeyed the unconscious command. He took quite a few steps closer. Only a little more than ten feet separated them now. It smiled a bit more. "What's the message?" Skulker demanded.

"This," it hissed, tapping into one of Danny's unused potentials and teleporting to inches from Skulker's chest. "You are no longer needed."

Skulker had a moment to blink in surprise before the creature moved. One hand came out, a sword of ectoplasm and ice forming in his fist. When it hit three feet long, the swirling blue and green sword became harder and sharper than any sword ever created on Earth. The thin sword bit through Skulker's suit without slowing. Once, twice, three times – and Skulker's pride and joy lay in pieces on the island floor. The creature lifted the helmet with a bit of telekinetics, easily blowing the technology to pieces and leaving one very shaken Skulker hanging in the air.

"Please," Skulker begged. "I'll do anything. I'll be your slave. Spare me!"

It blinked at the green blob. "I made a bargain to destroy everything Plasmius told me to. You are on the list." It dropped Skulker to the ground, one boot coming down on Skulker's tiny legs and pinning him to the ground. The creature carefully, and very slowly, lined its sword up over Skulker's tiny chest, the very sharp point hovering a few inches above the struggling blob, peering down its edge with one maniacal red eye. "As much as your offer means to me… my word is my bond."

"No!" Skulker screamed as the creature released the sword. It dropped, skewering right through Skulker and embedding itself a few inches into the ground.

The creature walked away, leaving Skulker to shriek as he disintegrated on the sword. Within minutes, all was quiet on the island.

* * *

Danny sighed, moving a bit farther away from his hiding place in his mind. Another redirected neuron and he felt the creature laugh insanely. But, even though the fight with Skulker had been horrible, it had also been very interesting. _Teleportation and telekinesis. I didn't know I could do those. And the sword was nice._

Danny inched towards the neuron he was trying to misfire. _I wonder what else is buried in my mind the creature knows how to use that I don't?_

He finally reached it and plucked it, sending a pulse through the creature's mind. Instantly, he knew that it had been a mistake. _Time for a change in plans._

* * *

The creature felt another wave of giddy insanity pass over it. "What is with these mood swings?" it muttered, then it stopped dead in the air. "Boy!" it hissed.

_Good morning,_ Danny snarled in its head. _And how are you feeling?_

"Get out of my head!"

_You get out of mine, Criatura._

The creature's eyes narrowed at the sound of his name. "You may be stronger than I thought, _child_, but you can do nothing to stop me. Not with Vlad's medicine in my veins. This is _my_ body now."

_How are you going to stop me?_

"Just watch and see, child. Just watch and see."


	3. The Daydream (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The creature is back... with Vlad and the creature plotting together, will Danny be able to save the world and the ghost zone from utter annihilation?

The creature stopped in front of a large pair of doors.

_Clockwork?_ Danny hissed in surprise.

The creature laughed. "Yes, Clockwork. He's going to get in the way. I need to take him out of the picture."

_You can't defeat Clockwork…_

"Yes, actually I can." It chuckled softly, contemplating how to open the doors. "Well, I suppose technically _you_ can. Why do you think Clockwork finds you so interesting? You have a rather… _unique _ability." Finally, it placed its hand on the door, palm out and fingers spread. "Would you like to know what it is? I think Clockwork may have been hiding it from you."

Danny felt a tremor pass through the creature. A strange, distant feeling swept into his mind, accompanied by the toll of ancient bells. _What…_ he started, the stopped as he watched what was happening through the creature's eyes.

Blue-green ectoplasm swirled down its arm, pooling onto its fingers and then spreading across the door. With a creak, the doors swung open, leaving the creature hovering with its arm up. It lowered its arm, a satisfied smirk on its face. "Temporal ectoplasm. I never knew a ghost other than Clockwork could have it. I was rather surprised when I found it in you."

_What kind of ectoplasm? Temporary?_ Danny wondered, confused.

The creature sneered as it flew into Clockwork's lair. "Do you not go to school, boy? Temporal. It means _time_."

_Time?_ Danny fell silent. _What are you going to do to Clockwork?_

The creature snickered. "All in good _time_, young host. All in good time."

* * *

Vlad glared up at the screens. According to his sources, his son had only destroyed two of the targets. "Idiot," he snarled. "You couldn't even take out Ember. Why are you bothering Clockwork? All of my good planning. Unraveling because of an idiot ghost."

He paced back and forth. "Enough of this." He grabbed a remote that was lying on the table. "I've kept up my half of the bargain long enough." Pressing the button caused a bunch of lights on a large computer to light up, and a whirring sound to fill the air.

Vlad smiled, settling himself back down into his computer chair to watch the proceedings. "Should he make it back from the ghost zone, a special chemical in that drug I gave Daniel will suppress his ability to control his body. He will become my slave," he mussed.

"He didn't really expect me to just _let_ him control the ghost zone, now did he?"

* * *

"Welcome to my lair, Criatura," Clockwork intoned, his form that of an old man.

The creature spun around, facing Clockwork. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

_That's a horrible question_, Danny snickered.

"It's was _sarcasm_, boy!" the creature snarled.

"So," Clockwork smiled his form phasing to a younger man, "you don't have as much control as usual, do you?"

"I will win, I always do."

_Yeah. You won so well last time_. Danny sent it a mental image of him waking up from the nightmare after the creature had 'lost' months ago.

"Shut it, boy." The creature pointed at Clockwork. "And you, old man, may want to run."

"Run? To where would I run?" His form switched yet again, a child tipping his head to the side as it gazed calmly at the creature. "Where is it you fear you cannot follow?"

"I will destroy you!" the creature shrieked in anger, ectoplasm burning in its hands as power flowed through it.

"Perhaps," Clockwork said, still calm and patient. "Perhaps this time. But things change." Clockwork smiled, his eyes seeming to drill through the creature and actually be looking at Danny, trapped inside of its mind. "As you well know. The future and the past are more malleable than most realize."

_Clockwork?_ Danny whispered, and than flinched back in surprise when his felt his mouth actually form the words. Clockwork's form switched to an old man, a gentle smile on his face.

The creature was infuriated by the level of control its host still hand. "Stop doing that!" it exploded, falling into a rage. Green ectoplasm burst into existence all over the creature's body, turning into a tower of green flames.

_Clockwork… run…_ Danny tried to scream, but it was no use.

The creature's fury was unleashed; it bore down on Clockwork – who made no move to run. His head turned slightly away, a small sigh leaving his chest before the fiery tornado swept over him. Clockwork, one of the most powerful ghosts in existence, was torn to shreds in seconds, his power over time swept up into the tornado that had destroyed him.

But the creature was far from over. Speaking ancient words that made Danny cringe and shrink back farther into its mind, the firestorm held still, and then started to shrink – a small tendril of power snaking off of the storm to reach out and touch the black _palonegro_ pendant that hung around the creature's neck.

When it touched, all hell broke loose. Green swirls sprang into existence all over the black pendant, glowing as bright as a star. As more and more of Clockwork's bluish power was sucked into the pendant, blue swirls etched themselves into the black wood of the _palonegro_. Meanwhile, the green fire of the tornado was ripped asunder, blasting through Clockwork's lair, completely obliterating anything in its path.

After nearly a minute of complete chaos, the creature hung in the middle of an empty space, so utterly destroyed that not even the walls and floor remained. In the blackness hung a greenish portal that led back to the ghost zone, the large, impenetrable doors gone. The creature giggled as it stared at the _palonegro_ clenched in its fingers. The bright green swirls glowed right alongside new blue ones. Both were etched deeply into the pendent and pulsed with light as the creature held it.

"Finally," the creature panted, its eyes burning with power. "I control both spirit and time!"

It laughed softly, heading for the door. "Only one color left to go… Stupid bargain."

Danny grimaced as a picture of Vlad floated through the creature's mind, the fruit loop's entire body outlined in an obsessive reddish power. _He doesn't deserve that_, he thought, making sure to keep his thoughts away from the creature's. _Not even Vlad._

* * *

_The creature drifted through the seemingly empty ghost zone, cackling over its _palonegro_. "It's taken a hundred centuries," it whispered, its red eyes locked on the glowing blue and green swirls against the black wood, "but my destiny is one step closer to being fulfilled."_

_Your destiny stinks, _Danny muttered darkly. _Can I not be part of it?_

It chuckled softly, spotting the green swirling vortex of the Fenton Portal off in the distance. "Your destiny and mine are intertwined, young hybrid."

_Can I get a refund?_ he asked sourly, his mind sinking into sarcastic despair at the thought of what was going to happen next. _I'm sick of this so-called destiny_.

"I will admit that I am not overly pleased with some of our _father's_ plans either, but in the end I will get what I deserve."

_That father thing is wrong._

The creature laughed. "I agree, child. But it was part of the bargain." It landed on the floating platform that contained the portal and walked through. "I will come back and finish off the other ghosts later. I need to…" it broke off as it hit the human world, the drug in its veins suddenly activating.

It moaned as the drug bit into its skin, driving pain up into its thoughts. Danny squirmed in its head, feeling everything that the creature felt, but refusing to make any more sound than the creature did. Through the pain, Danny could feel the creature's confusion. It had no idea where the pain was coming from or why. Danny, however, had a rather good guess.

_Vlad_, he pressed into the creature's mind, _Vlad is doing this_.

It collapsed onto the floor of the lab, its eyes closed in pain. "Why would he do this?" it finally managed to get out.

_Why do you think?_ Danny snorted, _he doesn't want a partner, Criatura, he wants a pawn._

"But…" it broke off as a wave of pain washed through it, making Danny clench his teeth to prevent himself from screaming, "but why… that's not part of the deal we made…"

_Do you think that Vlad cares about a bargain he made with you?_ Danny could feel the creature's disbelief loud and clear. _You are nothing more than a way for him to win: a pawn._

"No. I refuse to believe that," it panted, struggling against the biting pain. "Bargains are meant to be _kept_. They are not broken."

_Call him and see, _Danny hissed.

The creature stayed on the ground for a few more moments, then struggled to its feet. It staggered over to the phone and grabbed it. "I don't know his number," it mumbled after a moment.

_608 – 555 – 9430._ Danny sighed. _I still can't believe I memorized his phone number._

It slowly dialed the number, waiting for seven rings before Vlad picked up. "Who is this?" Vlad snapped.

"Your son, father, checking in and wondering what's going on," the creature managed to get out, its voice clipped because of the pain of the drug.

"Ah. Wonderful. I'll turn off the device, then."

Within seconds, the creature relaxed, the pain ebbing out of its body. It sighed. Danny closed his eyes and relaxed in the creature's mind. "What was that?" the creature hissed angrily.

"Speak nicely to your father, or else I turn my little machine back on."

Danny shivered, phantom pains bursting in his mind. _Not fun._

The creature, however, snarled. Then it said, in a relatively calm and pleasant voice, "What was that?"

"A small side-effect of the drug I gave you to suppress Daniel. I have the ability to turn it on and off as I see fit." Vlad chuckled in the background.

"That was not part of the deal!" it snapped.

Vlad sighed over the phone, and the mind-numbing pain swept through them. The creature sank to the ground with a groan of frustration, and closed its eyes until the pain went away about a minute later. "I will not tolerate an impolite son," Vlad said calmly.

Danny moaned, his mind bruised from the mental beating. _Please be nice to him for now,_ he pleaded with the creature.

It took a deep breath, breathing a few times. "Are you breaking our bargain?" it asked, its voice composed.

"I suppose I am," Vlad chuckled. "You will do as I say, or I will destroy you."

There was a war being fought in the creature's mind, and Danny was there to listen to it. Part of the creature wanted to ignore Vlad and go destroy him for breaking their bargain. _Nobody_ broke a bargain with it and lived to tell about it. The other part knew that it would never reach Vlad. The pain would be too great. But the broken bargain... something needed to be done…

"Fine, father," the creature finally spat. "I will do your dirty work." _For now,_ Danny heard it add in its mind.

"Good. My first order is this: destroy Amity Park. Be careful for my beautiful Madeline, however. If you harm her, I will destroy you."

The creature closed its eyes, counting to ten. "Alright," he sighed. Then Vlad hung up and the creature screamed in frustration.

* * *

The city of Amity Park didn't even stand a chance. The creature was incensed. After escaping from FentonWorks, the creature had flown straight towards the city-center, blowing up every car it could spot. Ectoblasts turned light posts into slag, telekinesis slammed busses and trucks together like bumper cars, and icy swords beheaded every sign.

_At least it's not taking its frustrations out on people_, Danny muttered, wincing as two empty busses slammed together with enough force to completely crush the parked car that had been trapped between.

Feeding off its emotions and the powerful charge of the _palonegro_ pendant, the creature flew over Casper High. Its eyes blazed with hatred, not caring that it was a Saturday and the school was empty. A huge ball of ectoplasm burned coldly between its hands and grew increasingly powerful as it fed all its aggravation into it.

When it finally released the ball, it had the equivalent force of two 747s crashing head-long into each other at full speed. The explosion shook the entire city, windows shattering for miles around. Laughing slightly, shaking from the amount of power it had used, the creature surveyed the damage. The school was no more. The entire building and most of the school grounds had been completely disintegrated. The only thing remaining was a huge, smoking crater.

As the creature clutched at the pendant to recharge, Danny rolled his eyes. _And I thought I hated school. What did it ever do to you?_

It ignored him, its red eyes searching for another target. _No, not that!_ Danny moaned as he caught on to the creature's thoughts. But it was too late, the creature was moving.

Hovering over the Nasty Burger, it turned its palms towards the restaurant. It could see people running in terror, but it didn't really care. Grabbing Danny's ice powers, it blasted the Nasty Burger, turning it into an ice sculpture. Panting with effort, the _palonegro_ not quite keeping up with the amount of energy it was wasting, the creature blasted the place, letting it crumble in icy pieces.

The creature smiled slowly, its eyes closing as it hovered over the destruction. "I'm feeling much better, boy," it whispered.

_Good,_ Danny muttered. _You want to fix everything you broke now?_

"Of course not. I was ordered to destroy Amity Park, don't you remember?"

Danny mentally rubbed his eyes, his mind starting to hurt. He reached out and tried to take control of his body once more. Nothing. The creature was still firmly in control.

The creature turned its head to stare at the tallest building in Amity Park, one with a clock on its tower. City Hall. The creature took off.

When it was still a block away, the creature came to a stop and created a ball of green ectoplasm in its hands. Laughing slightly, it shot off a huge ball of power. Immediately, the creature dropped nearly to the street with the drain in power and waited, hovering only a foot off the ground, its eyes glazed with the loss of energy. Panting, it watched the ectoblast hit City Hall.

The building fell apart. Danny screamed in his head, watching in horror as huge pieces of the town hall collapsed onto the street. People ran, a few of them getting hit and falling to the ground. But there was only one person that Danny was watching: a thin red-head, unable to move fast enough on her crutches. There was no escape for her. A huge piece of the wall of the second floor broke off, tumbling to the ground, crushing the girl underneath it. Danny couldn't take his eyes off of the place, his mind working soundlessly as he tried to grasp what had happened.

When the rumbling finally ended, the creature descended through the cloud of dust. It landed lightly on the ground next to the pile of bricks that had crushed the red-head. Kneeling down, it gazed at the small river of dusty blood that was trickling out from the pile. "Well," it smiled, "that's that, I guess."

Danny shook his head. _No. She's not dead. No. Not until I see her body._ He retreated back into the creature's mind in disbelief. _No._

The creature stood up, ready to fly off to the next place on its list to destroy, when it was hit with a blinding flash of light. It twisted around, snarling, but could only catch sight of two forms, one blue and one orange, before it was slammed with brilliant bolts of light.

Danny smiled bitterly as the creature dragged him into the dark depths of unconsciousness.

* * *

As soon as it awoke, the creature began to struggle against the bindings that held it tied to the chair as soon. "Let me go," it snarled as a blue-hooded head came into its field of view.

_Mom,_ Danny whispered, hopeful that she would be able to solve the problem. _If only I could talk to her…_

"Ghost," Maddie was saying calmly, "what were you doing?"

"What do you mean?" the creature hissed. "I'm an evil ghost. I was destroying things."

Maddie hesitated. "I don't believe that Phantom is evil, not anymore. Why were you doing what you were?"

"You don't think I'm evil?" it snapped. "When did that happen?"

_Yeah, _Danny agreed, _when did you decide that?_

Maddie shrugged. "I've actually been coming to that conclusion for awhile." She pulled up a chair and sat in front of the creature. "Anything you've done that seems evil can be explained away."

_Wow. _Danny smiled, then slapped his forehead when he remembered the situation he was in.

"You are wrong. I'm evil now." The creature's red eyes stared into hers.

"We disagree," Maddie continued. She then motioned to the large, orange-suited man standing off to the side.

Jack's eyes lit up at his turn to talk. "We used the Spectral Analyzer on you, Ghost Boy." Jack turned the computer monitor to face the creature. "See? There are three spectral patterns in you. There should only be one."

Maddie nodded. "Which means one of a few things, Phantom. One, you are suffering from some kind of split-personality disorder. Or two, there is more than one ghost in your head."

Both the creature and Danny were speechless. _How did they figure that out so fast?_ Danny wondered. He shivered; sometimes his parents scared him with their intelligence. _This is a good thing… they know that the creature is not me…_

Jack pulled up a chair and dropped his bulk into it, making the chair groan. "We personally agree that it's option two. So, whoever you are, we want to speak to Phantom. The real Phantom."

"Not likely," the creature snarled. "He is _mine_."

Maddie smiled coldly, picking up two small devices from the floor; a small, metallic ring and a control box. "We figured you might say that. This is a small invention that inhibits ghosts that are overshadowing people." She leaned forwards, holding the ring up between her fingers, her eyes hard behind her goggles. "Let's just say it's rather unpleasant for the ghost."

"Are you threatening me?" its eyes narrowed.

Jack nodded. "Yes."

The creature stared at the ring, contemplating its options. Danny spoke up, _Why don't you let me talk to them? It's not like I can do anything._

It blinked a few times, then focused its red eyes on Maddie's. "Do you swear to let me go afterwards?"

Maddie's hand lowered, her face expressionless. "You allow us to speak with Phantom – the _real_ Phantom – for fifteen minutes, and we'll release the bindings. However, if you attack either of us, our family, or our home on your way out, you will be recaptured and held indefinitely."

"A bargain," the creature hissed. "With one slight twist. You cannot speak to Phantom, as he doesn't currently exist. However, you may speak with my human host and see what he has to say."

Maddie blinked. "Your _human_ host?" Her voice was soft.

"Yes. Phantom and my host are intertwined to such a degree that there is no barrier between their minds. Anything Phantom would know, my host would know."

Jack and Maddie exchanged glances. Danny stared at them, hope shining in his eyes. _Please, _he begged. _I need to talk to you_.

"Agreed."

The creature smiled and closed its eyes. "Boy," he whispered, "it's your turn. You have fifteen minutes."

Danny felt his mind being thrust forwards, slamming back in to control of his body. The creature, he knew, was prowling just outside of his thoughts, listening to everything that was said. With a jolt, Danny realized he once again had a body and ghost powers to worry about. But it was too late. His control slipped, and two white rings formed around his middle.

* * *

Danny shut his eyes tight as the rings passed over him. Silence fell through the lab. Finally, he gathered the courage to open his eyes very slightly and glance at his father. As expected, his dad was staring at him, pale-faced and confused.

"Um…" Danny said, blinking in surprise when his voice actually worked. "Hi?"

"Danny?" his father asked, "What… How… Why…" Jack trailed off, his eyes dazed.

The creature chuckled in his mind. Realizing that time was being wasted, Danny launched into his spiel. "Remember the accident I had?" he spoke quickly, not wanting to spend time on this, "The one with the ghost portal? It gave me ghost powers. I've been Danny Phantom this entire time…"

Danny trailed off his quick speech as his gaze fell on his mother. She was smiling at him, getting up to unlock the cuffs. There was no surprise in her eyes. He blinked at her. "You knew?" he asked softly.

"Ever since that nightmare we had a few months ago." She got the last cuff unlocked and pulled him into a hug.

"That really was you?"

"Yes." She let him go, smiling at his dazzled expression.

"Then…" he hesitated, his thoughts coming together, "you were the one that hid the _palonegro_… the creature's weapon… in the attic?"

She nodded.

"What?" Jack whispered, his eyes still fixed on Danny. Danny looked over at him and smiled.

Maddie glanced over at her husband, then back at Danny. "What's going on?"

Danny turned back to her, his blue eyes serious. "The creature is back. It's in my head, and it's controlling me. I can't stop it…" Danny trailed off. "I don't know what to do."

"We need more information Danny. Tell me what's going on."

He hesitated, wondering where to start. "The creature has been taking me over since I found the _palonegro_ in the attic last week. When we took that trip to Wisconsin, Plasmius, the Wisconsin Ghost, formed a deal with it. Plasmius gave me some kind of drug that prevents me from being in control of my own body." Danny hesitated, the continued, "Vlad Plasmius is like me. He's half-ghost, and half-human. Vlad Plasmius is really Vlad Masters." He looked into his mother's eyes, watching the disbelief turn into rage. Before his mother could stop him with questions, he pressed on with his story. "Then…" Danny paused, images flashing before his eyes. "Then…" A tear trickled down his cheek. "Then we killed Sam," he whispered.

Maddie pulled him back into a hug, rocking him back and forth, her mind working frantically. She remembered when Sam had been found, and the frantic phone calls she had tried to make to Vlad's mansion to get in contact with her son. Vlad had said that he would pass on the message. She bit her lip, trying to come up with something to say. "You didn't kill Sam, sweetie, get that out of your mind. The creature killed Sam. Not you."

Danny sobbed into her shoulder. "I remember doing it," he cried, "I could feel it. I just had no control over it. I couldn't stop. I killed Sam." Then, bodies started to flash behind his eyes. "I killed Walker," he whispered, "I killed Technus. I killed Skulker. I even killed Clockwork. Then, on Vlad's orders I killed…" Danny's eyes were closed, the last name fighting to not leave his lips.

Suddenly, he pushed away from his mother and stood in the center of the room, trembling. "Danny," Maddie said, moving closer, reaching out for him. "You're okay. It'll all be okay."

"No!" Danny screamed, the last image burned into his brain, the pile of bricks and the river of blood, picking at his sanity like vultures pick at carrion. "It's not okay. I killed Sam! I killed…" he stared at his mother in horror, feeling the power that had rushed through his fingers and snuffed out the life that he couldn't even begin to grasp was gone. "I killed…" He'd never see her again. Never talk to her again.

Danny collapsed to the ground, sobs wracking his body so hard that he couldn't truly breathe in. _This wasn't part of your plan, you are wasting time!_ a part of him chastened. But the rest of him didn't care. He couldn't cry when the creature was in control.

His mother's hand touched his shoulder. Danny flinched and moved away, his wide, terrified eyes staring at her. "You don't understand… I killed…" Still the name wouldn't come.

Danny looked over at his father, who was still staring at the chair he had been in, his eyebrows furrowed and confused. "I killed…" he whispered, knowing that he would never be able to say her name again.

Suddenly, Danny's eyes flashed to red, two rings of white light appearing to turn him into his ghost form. The creature roughly shoved Danny's stricken and unresisting mind back into a corner. "Time's up," it hissed, glaring at Maddie, who was almost touching its shoulder.

The creature stood up, pushing Maddie out of the way. Before it turned to go, the creature figured it had one last thing that needed to be said. "Do you want to know who we killed? Do you want to know what person died at our hands that broke your son so completely?" It smiled crookedly at Maddie, then glanced over at the still-in-shock Jack.

Maddie nodded silently, her eyes wide and fearful.

The creature spoke very slowly. "We. Killed. Jazz."

* * *

Laughing insanely, the creature fled FentonWorks, leaving two stunned and horrified parents behind. It flew into the sky, watching the sunset for a moment. Then, it turned its eyes down onto Amity Park. The creature smiled; the destruction was absolutely beautiful.

The sharp whine of a hoverboard brought its attention back to the skies. "What's going on?" Valerie demanded, staring at the creature in amazement.

"What does it look like?"

_Valerie? _Danny whispered, still dazed from his encounter with his parents.

"It looks like the town 'hero' is destroying Amity Park." Valerie crossed her arms, but she still hadn't pulled out any weapons.

The creature raised an eyebrow. "If that's what it looks like, why aren't you blasting me?"

The huntress shrugged. "I've come to the conclusion that you usually are the lesser of two evils. And that you are rather smart. So, if you are just hanging around, then chances are this," she waved at the crater where the school used to stand, "is not your doing."

Danny glared weakly at Valerie from his place inside of the creature's mind. _What? She chooses NOW to accept me? Are you kidding?_

The creature chuckled. "Actually, Valerie, you would be wrong this time." It turned its glowing red eyes on the huntress. "This is all my doing."

"What?" she said faintly.

"I've had a recent… change of personality." The creature grinned evilly.

Valerie suddenly reached for her gun, pointing it at the creature. "Then," she hesitated, still looking around for the other ghost her mind still screamed should be there, "then you're going down."

_Don't hurt Valerie_, Danny begged, struggling to pull himself back together.

The creature snickered. "I'm not going to _hurt_ Valerie, child. I'm going to play with her."

Valerie's eyes widened as she heard its one-sided monologue. "Who are you talking to?"

"The real Ghost-Boy," it sneered. "I've taken over his body and he's not pleased with the idea of me hurting you."

"I knew it," Valerie stated. "I knew that there was another ghost involved."

"Too bad for you," it hissed, pulling on the new, swirling blue power locked inside the _palonegro_ pendant. Bringing its hands together, it formed a ball of strange blue-green ectoplasm. Instead of the chill that it felt from normal ectoplasm, this kind felt warm and gooey in its fingers. Watching carefully, the creature timed its blast. Just before Valerie pulled the trigger, the creature released the ball of energy. It flew towards the huntress, catching her in a ball of light. When the light cleared, there was nothing left behind.

_I thought…_ Danny hesitated, _I thought you weren't going to hurt her._

"I didn't," laughed the creature. "Just wait and see." It moved off to the side a few feet and then waited patiently. After about a minute, the huntress shimmered back into existence, in exactly the same position as she had left, her shot coming out of her gun to shoot where the creature had been a minute before.

_What?_

Before Valerie could do more than blink at the empty spot and refocus on the creature, it created another ball of blue-green ectoplasm and shot her again. She vanished, only to reappear a minute later.

_What's going on?_ Danny demanded, thoroughly confused after the creature had done Valerie's disappearing act a half-dozen times.

"What's going on?" Valerie helpfully commanded at the same time.

"Temporal ectoplasm," the creature chuckled. "You are taking short hops through time, huntress."

"What?" she demanded dazedly.

The creature yawned. "Unfortunately, I grow bored of our game. I have gotten in my practice with this new power," it fingered the pendant lovingly, "and I have used up most of my frustrations about being ordered around by that fruit-loop of a master."

Valerie's eyes widened. "What?" she wondered.

"Can the two of you say nothing else?" the creature scoffed. "Goodbye, huntress." It raised its hand, a huge ball of blue-green ectoplasm forming in its palm. "When I next see you, it would be better for you to run, for I will be ordered to kill you at that point." It loosed the energy, and Valerie vanished, traveling much farther into the future this time.

After a few moments of silence, Danny spoke. _Why did you spare her life?_

"Despite appearances, young hybrid, I do not kill when it does not serve a purpose. That young girl's death at this point would have done nothing for me."

Danny shook his head. _What are you going to do next?_

The creature sighed. "I suppose I need to call _father_ and see what he has to say."

* * *

Maddie pulled the last few pieces of her mind together. She trembled in equal parts terror, horror, and rage. Danny was being controlled by an evil monster. Vlad _was_ an evil monster. And Jazz was… she was dead.

"Maddie," Jack whispered hoarsely, dropping down next to her. "Everything he said was true?" It wasn't really a question.

She nodded, her mind racing.

"Vladdy?" Jack wondered softly. "Vlad has destroyed my family?" He sat in the chair silently for a few seconds. Then he suddenly stood up and strode over to the table, grabbing a handful of weapons. "Danny," he muttered. "We need to rescue Danny." His voice hardened as he added, "Nobody hurts my family."

Maddie stood up shakily, moving over towards her husband. She reached over and grabbed the first weapon she could find that would do massive amounts of damage to a ghost. "Let's go."

Jack nodded, and then headed up the stairs to start the RV. Maddie hesitated just a moment, staring down at the weapon in her hands. "For Jazz and Danny," she vowed before storming up the stairs.

* * *

Vlad Masters sat in his mobile lab on the outskirts of Amity Park, watching the drama in the lab unfold on a computer screen. He snarled as the creature allowed Daniel to talk, spilling the truth to Maddie. It had been surprising to learn that Maddie had known that Daniel was a hybrid. Unfortunately, his secret had been spilled as well.

He toyed with the remote control in his hands as the child had fallen into a crying fit, thinking of punishing his new son, but he held off for a bit. This was something he needed to _discuss_ with Daniel in person.

Finally, he had watched Maddie's beautiful eyes harden and rage consume her. He sighed. "She will never be mine," he whispered sadly. "Not in life anyway."

Vlad shook his head, his eyes blazing. "Then she will be mine in death," he vowed. He was just starting on his plans to ensure that she became a ghost when the phone rang. It was Daniel.

* * *

"Come and join me, son. I am just south of Amity Park. Kill everything that stands in your way."

Those were Vlad's instructions. The creature snarled into the phone as a dial tone hit its ear. "Our bargain is broken, yet I am still forced to obey his commands."

Danny, locked in the creature's mind and able to do little more than twiddle his thumbs, raised a mental eyebrow. _I hear a bit of anger in your voice, Criatura_.

"Do not call me that!" It stood still, the phone creaking in protest as its fingers clamped down harder around the handset. It suddenly threw the handset to the ground and walked out of the phone booth, sending a blast of green ectoplasm behind it to explode the phone.

As the creature stood on the sidewalk, watching the phone burn, Danny rolled his eyes. _As if that helped. _He needed to do something. He needed to get the creature out of Amity Park and away from his family and friends. _Why are you still standing here? Your master is calling._

It turned away and stormed up the deserted street, glaring at the ground. But a voice brought it up short. "Danny?"

The creature brought its head up to see the figure that stood in its way.

_No._ Danny struggled for control of the creature again. _Stay away from Tucker_.

It just stared in annoyance at the African-American teenager that was standing in the broken street. "Are you standing in my way?" it asked blankly.

Tucker blinked at the creature. "What?"

"Are you standing in my way?"

Danny gasped as he figured it out. _No! He's not standing in your way. Don't obey that command! Tucker…_

Tucker shrugged, unable to hear Danny's mental cries and not knowing that the person standing before him wasn't his best friend. "I guess so. Why does it matter?"

"I have been ordered to kill everybody that stands in my way. That now includes you," the creature deadpanned.

"Is this a joke?" Tucker asked, finally noticing the red glow in his friend's eyes. He backed up a few steps. "If it is, it's not a funny one."

_Tucker… run!_ Danny screamed, bashing his mind against the creature's in panic. He needed control back. He needed it now!

It raised its arm, a ball of green light growing in its palm.

"Um… Danny?" Tucker whispered, stumbling backwards. "It's me. Your best friend."

The creature smiled, its eyes narrowing… when suddenly its eyes blazed blue. "Tucker!" Danny yelled, the creature already fighting for control of his body again. "I can't stop it! RUN!"

As Tucker's eyes widened and he tensed, the creature smashed Danny's control away, slamming his mind into pieces. "Die," the creature snarled in anger. The blast left its hand to speed towards the petrified and frozen teenager.

So embroiled in their own problems, none of them had noticed the third figure that had silently entered the street earlier. "No," the man now yelled, managing to reach Tucker and push him out of the way just in time. However, the man took the brunt of the blast.

The creature blinked, surprised, its gaze locked on the smoking figure out the adult that now lay sprawled in the street. It pushed off from the ground, flying closer and pausing over the body.

_Mr. Lancer…_ Danny whispered weakly, trying to pull himself back together, taking in his too-still form and the fixed, glazed eyes in an instant.

The creature narrowed its eyes, staring at the body. "The fool," it whispered, almost sounding surprised. "It gave its life for…" suddenly remembering its target, the creature whipped its head around. Tucker had landed, sprawled onto the ground, and was only now getting to his hands and knees, his eyes locked on his dead teacher.

"And now," the creature hissed, "you die."

Tucker wrenched his gaze away from Lancer's body and turned his eyes towards the creature. "Why?" he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Danny, unable to do anything, weakly pushed at the creature. It didn't even feel him. _Please… no…_

The creature readied an ectoplasmic burst and steadied it on Tucker's crouched form. From up here, Danny could see that one of Tucker's legs was broken and twisted. He couldn't run. And from the despair and horror in Tucker's eyes, he knew it.

To the end, Tucker refused to beg. Silently, he turned his face away from his best friend and closed his eyes. When the blast of ectoplasm slammed into him and blew his chest apart, Tucker didn't make a sound. Danny fell into silence, tears streaming down his face, curling up in the creature's mind.

Oddly, the only one of the three that screamed was the creature.

Danny, silently surveying the results of the creature's work in horror, missed the exact moment when the creature came to a very startling decision.

"Enough!" the creature snarled, its eyes flaring red. "I've had enough of Vlad's orders!"

* * *

The creature landed softly on the ground, keeping its white boots out of the slowly growing puddle of blood. The creature glared at the dead bodies. "Enough of this," it hissed again, red eyes flaring dangerously. "I am _not_ a toy."

_You can't beat Plasmius. The drug won't let you_.

It turned away, walking towards the woods. "Yes, young hybrid. I cannot. But I believe that _you_ can."

_What? Why do you think that?_ Danny shifted in the creature's mind, coming closer to the surface.

"You fought off both myself and Vlad for a while trying to save your friend." A picture of Tucker floated through its mind. "I believe you could do it again, and could succeed if you were focused."

Danny was silent, contemplating that. _How does that help us? I can't do much._

"With your strong spirit combined with my focus and practice. Vlad's drug wouldn't stand a chance."

_…A deal?_

"Yes, in essence. We can not win as we are. You lack the power and practice and I lack the spirit and determination."

_But together we have a chance._ Danny was following the line of reasoning.

"A mutually beneficial relationship." The creature was silent for a moment. "It's possible. Do we have a deal, young hybrid?"

Danny hesitated. _Nobody else gets hurt?_

"Other than Vlad? Agreed."

Danny was silent, thinking about his mom and dad – both were still alive and he desperately wanted to keep them that way. Besides, as Vlad's tool, his body would be able to do all sorts of damage. Vlad would rule the world in just a few months. That couldn't be allowed to happen. Danny's fingers clenched into fists. Sometimes, you have to make a deal with the Devil to save the world. _Deal_.

The creature brought Danny's fingers up to the _palonegro_. "You must focus on the _palonegro,_ child. Try to put your mind into the wood. It will spin us together and make us stronger."

Danny stared down at the black pendant, feeling the creature doing the same. Slowly, his mind reached out and touched the wood, feeling his spirit suddenly begin to be sucked into the blackness. Danny screamed, struggling against it, but it was too late – he was yanked out of the creature's head and drawn into the pitch darkness of the pendant.

* * *

Danny opened his eyes. He was floating in the middle of nothing, no light anywhere. "Child," he heard his voice say from behind him. He twisted around, stopping dead when he saw… himself.

"What's going on?" Danny demanded.

"We are inside the _palonegro_," the creature said, tipping its head to the side. "This is our last chance to back out the deal."

A flash of green flickered up between them, followed by a blaze of blue. Danny blinked the bright afterimages away, trying to focus on the creature floating about ten feet away. "Why would I back out of it?"

"The deal is forever, boy. There is no going back."

Danny stared at him, his mind going blank. "But…"

"I do have a plan, however, for after we merge. A way to separate ourselves again."

"You do?" Danny drifted a bit closer to the creature.

The creature nodded, shielding its eyes from another blast of greens and blues that flickered around the empty space. "Do we still have a deal, young hybrid?"

Danny hesitated, then flew the remainder of the distance, holding out his hand. "Yes, if you do."

It gazed at him, its red eyes almost sad. "It has come to this," the creature wondered softly, "I require the help of a teenager. Not in ten thousand years would I have expected this." It laughed a moment before raising its hand. "I accept your help."

Their hands clasped together as a green flicker of light slammed into them. They were smashed into each other, their mental bodies falling apart and merging into one. Danny could hear the creature scream in pain as they fell into the blackness.

* * *

Flicker.

_"My prince!" the girl called, her beautiful violet eyes twinkling in the sunset. He stopped his walk to turn and watch her come. His wonderful princess. She was wearing the most gorgeous gown of black cloth, accented with purple and amethyst stones. It made her eyes all the more violet and her hair sparkle with indigo highlights._

_"What is your desire, love?" he asked, pulling her in close to him and giving her a caste kiss on the cheek. She blushed and looked away._

_"I desire to spend more time with you, my prince." She smiled up at him. "Why do you think I would desire anything more?"_

_He laughed, enjoying the feeling of her warmth pressed against him. "Because you always want something, dear one."_

_She laughed, her eyes dancing, twisting away from him and walking away, pausing when she was right behind him. "Perhaps… perhaps we could change the menu of tonight's banquet?"_

Flicker.

_"Sam?" he called, looking over his shoulder at his best friend. She grinned at him from her place in line for lunch. Her violet eyes glowed happily as she surveyed the food available. "What did you do?"_

_"It's ulta-recyclo-vegetarian, that's what I did." She scooted forwards, grabbing a bit of grass and putting it on a tray. "It's an experiment."_

_"You changed the menu?" he asked, confused. Her violet eyes glittered as she smiled at him, coming closer and pushing the tray at him with one hand, the tray's corner digging into his chest._

Flicker.

_"Stay away from me!" she yelled, the sharp sword held in front of her, point digging into his chest. "This is entirely your fault!" Her deep violet eyes pierced his soul. "You could have done something to save them… you… you… _creature_!"_

_He took a step backwards, blue eyes confused. "Please," he begged the girl, flinching away from her angry glare._

_"No!" she screamed, thrusting the sword forwards and through his heart. He gasped, feeling his blood pumping out of his body and his heart falter. As he sank to the ground, he saw her beautiful violet eyes flash with a possessed red. Then, he saw no more._

Flicker.

_He opened his eyes to stare up at the eyes that glared down at him. "Get up," she said, annoyed. "What are you, four? Don't let a weakling like that beat you. Here," she tossed a Fenton Thermos into his hands. "Move."_

_He got slowly to his feet, the ghost wreaking havoc a few blocks away. He stared at her. "I'm… I'm sorry," he stammered._

_"Apologize later, go save the day now," she snapped, turning away from him. Then, she looked over her shoulder, her purple eyes softening. "Go, Danny. Save the world. I'll still be here."_

Flicker.

_Sam was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He stood over her, his eyes fixed on the spot where her violet eyes would have been. Would have been had her head not been vaporized moments before. He couldn't decide if he should laugh or cry. Her beautiful, horrible eyes. The same eyes that brought him to life and killed him. Finally, he turned away._

_Love and hate. Is there really that much of a difference? Both are passionate, obsessive feelings. He was filled with both._

Flicker.

_I? We?_ the two voices spoke at the same time, confused, discordant. Ten thousand years worth of memories and knowledge were combined with a short lifetime of being a powerful fighter and a hero to form a jumble in their mind.

_A hero? _the voices whispered. _A villain?_ _Which am I?_

_Does it matter?_

The memories sorted themselves out, their mind moving forwards through time. Images of the past few days flashed through their mind. _Vlad,_ they hissed, two voices joined in perfect harmony.

Slowly, they spoke aloud. "We… are… Danny… Phantom." A smile formed on their face.

Their eyes flickered open. For a second, red and blue swirled through them as the last bits of their personalities merged. Then, they settled into a deep violet. With a grim smile, they took off and flew towards Vlad, to finish him off once and for all, the drug in their veins not having any effect on them anymore.

Deep in their mind, two girls – one hated and one loved – merged into one. _"Go, Danny. Save the world,"_ they whispered.

* * *

Danny's violet eyes were blank as they stood next to Vlad, the _palonegro_ glowing with an eerie bluish light as they tapped into it, pulling on its energy. "Daniel," Vlad said, starting his plan to turn her into a ghost, "destroy Maddie Fenton. I don't want even a molecule remaining."

"Yes, father," Danny intoned. They strode forwards, a small smile crossing their face as they gazed into the terrified eyes of their mother.

"Danny, stop!" Maddie whispered, tears on her face. "Please. Fight this!"

"Don't speak to us," their voice was cold. They raised their hand, green and blue ectoplasm boiling into a warm ball, hanging just in front of their palm. "Goodbye, Mother."

The ball shot forward as a stream of power. It leveled anything standing in its path – alive or otherwise. Maddie's scream cut off suddenly as the blast struck her, and the scream echoed strangely on the quiet street. When the bright light died away, there was nothing left but a long scar in the street. Maddie was gone.

"Good!" Vlad crowed. Danny turned around to look at him. Vlad was smiling.

They were about to walk over to Vlad when a blast hit them from behind. "You've killed dozens of people! You evil monster!"

Danny stood up, gazing at Vlad. "May we?" they asked softly.

Vlad smiled. "You may, my son."

Danny turned to track Valerie's flight through the air. A small smile played across their lips. They pushed off the ground, quickly swooping through the air and punching Valerie in the face. She tumbled off of her hoverboard, landing hard on the ground. Danny drifted down to hang in the air just above her.

They reached down and pulled the hood off of her face. She was glaring up at them, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why?" she whispered. "I finally thought you were the hero. Why don't you fight?"

"This is our destiny. It's too late for us," Danny hissed. "It's too late for you too." They rose up a few feet, their hands coming together in front of them. The strange green-blue ectoplasm formed in their hands. They stared into her eyes for a second, burning the memory into their mind. Then they released the blast of power.

Within a second, there was nothing left below them but a ten-foot deep crater.

Danny dropped to the ground on the side of the crater and paced slowly back to Vlad. "Did we do well, father?"

Vlad's eyebrows furrowed, confused by Danny's use of the plural pronoun "we" – but after a second, he put it out of his mind and grinned at Danny. "Wonderfully!" he beamed. "Now come, son, we have a world to conquer."

"Yes, father."

Suddenly, a voice spoke up from behind them. "Vlad." It was dripping with anger.

Both Vlad and Danny turned to look at the newcomer. The man spoke again. "You have destroyed my son, my daughter, and now, my wife."

Vlad laughed. "Are you kidding, Jack? I did nothing to Maddie. That was all young Daniel here."

"Don't!" Jack bellowed. "My son is being controlled. He is not to blame."

"I'm glad you think so, Jack. However, that does not change the fact that it was Danny who killed your family." Vlad glared at him, red energy pulsing into his hands. "However, it will be _my_ pleasure to destroy you, _finally_."

"Wait," Danny said, putting their hand on Vlad's shoulder. "Let us."

"What?" Vlad turned to him.

"Let us destroy him for you. Think of it as a belated father's day present." Danny smiled at him. "A thank you for showing us the way."

Vlad stared at him, unconvinced. "Why are you doing this?"

"For the first time in our lives, we can think clearly, father. It is obvious that we have been mistaken. You have always been right. Let us do this to prove our loyalty to you."

A happy smile flickered across Vlad's face. "Yes, my son, you may."

Danny turned their head to stare at Jack. "Thank you, father." Danny started forwards. They did not fly or even walk quickly. There was no escape for the man with the orange jumpsuit.

"Danny…" Jack started, backing up a few feet. Danny's gaze was hard and unwavering as they glared their former father down. Finally, Danny reached Jack's side. Without as much as a word, their fist flew out, slamming into Jack's stomach.

As Jack curled up, Danny chopped down, sending Jack flying to the ground. "We hope you die slowly, idiot. We will never forgive you for turning us into a freak!" Danny yelled.

Then they picked Jack up and threw him through the air, slamming him into the third story of a nearby building. Before Jack could fall more than a few feet, Danny was up, pinning him against the wall. Danny's eyes suddenly lost their maniacal glow for a second, violet eyes swirling to a more normal blue. They leaned close to Jack's ear, their voice a quick whisper. "You need to stop this. We can't go to Wisconsin. _Remember_. This can't happen again, Dad."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Then, Danny's eyes hardened again, violet rushing back. They laughed loudly, evilly, and threw Jack high into the air. "You want your wife back? Why don't you join her!" Danny yelled, tracking Jack's falling body with their hands. When Jack was once again even with them, Danny loosed their ball of green-blue ectoplasm. It slammed into Jack, disintegrating him in the blink of an eye.

Danny, chuckling, drifted down and landed on the ground behind Vlad, the smile on their face genuine for the first time in days. "Are you pleased with us, father?" they asked.

"Very pleased, my son." Vlad turned around once, surveying the damage. "Now, let's go. We have a world to conquer."

"Yes, father," Danny said, following Vlad down the street. They glanced at the mayhem they had caused. Danny silently yanked the necklace off from around their neck, dropping the chain to the ground and placing the pendant on their palm. _This cannot happen again_, they whispered to themselves. They focused on the pendant they held in their hand. _We must remember as well_. _We can no longer keep this here_. Blue-green ectoplasm flared in their fingers, the pendant melting away instantly.

"Daniel?" Vlad called.

Danny glanced up; they had fallen behind. They jogged up to their place by Vlad's side. "Yes, father?" A slow smile grew on Danny's face as they pondered what they should do with the man that had destroyed their life.

"What would you like to do first?"

Danny smiled at him. _Like it matters for you anymore_. "Whatever you want to, father." That was the answer Vlad wanted to hear. Vlad walked into the sunset with every thought going towards ruling the world as father and son. Danny hesitated a second, then followed – two steps behind – a blue-green sword growing in their hands, their eyes fixed on Vlad.

* * *

_Danny was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the small object he had found in a box in the attic. It was very, very familiar. A small stick, black as night except for strange, green swirling marks traveling up and down its sides._

Danny remembered it well. But this little stick shouldn't exist. It couldn't exist.

He shivered. The nightmare swirled up in his head, unbidden. _His own eyes, staring back at him. The creature, informing him that it was going to take over the world using Danny's body and abilities. The creature, trying to destroy his mother_.

Danny thunked his head down on the table. It had only been a nightmare. It wasn't real.

_Was it?_

He twirled the stick between his fingers like a baton. If it had just been a nightmare, then what was this stick? Why was it in the attic? Maybe he had seen it as a child, and it had merely resurfaced in his dream?

He bit his lip, staring off into space. This was making his head hurt. He shook his head. _It was just a nightmare you had months ago_, he chided himself. _Stop stressing over it_.

There was only one problem with his theory. This particular nightmare refused to go away. It was more realistic than any nightmare he had ever had before. It was more like a memory than anything else. And it was haunting him.

_Maybe I should talk to Jazz…_ he hesitated when thumping footsteps rattled the house. Danny dropped the stick into his lap, fixing an innocent expression on his face before his father tramped through the door.

"Danny!" he bellowed, his face lighting up. "Have you seen the Ghost Gabber?"

_Yes_, Danny answered in his mind._ I assume it's still fifteen feet below the foundation – right where I left it_. Out loud he responded, "No, Dad. Haven't seen it all day."

"Aw…" Jack moaned. "I've searched…" Jack suddenly broke off, staring into space with a dazed expression.

"Dad?" Danny pushed his chair back, standing up. The stick fell off of his lap and dropped to the floor. With a glance at his still motionless father, Danny stooped to pick it up. Just as it entered his fingers, the stick began to _change_. It shrank, growing slightly fatter and forming a small hole at the top. It became a pendant with green and blue swirls.

Suddenly, Danny's mind was overtaken by thousands of images. Sam, Jazz, Tucker, Lancer… all dead. Clockwork, Technus, Skulker, and Walker… gone for good. The feeling of being trapped in his own brain. Recollections of things that hadn't happened yet. Finally, the memory of sending his parents back in time to stop the whole disaster from happening in the first place.

"Ah!" Danny managed to get out, falling backwards to sit on the floor. He could do nothing but stare dazedly at the pendant in his hands with a growing feeling of horror. He could see Sam's dead body in front of him. He could feel the creature's joy at his torment and at other's deaths. Danny sat there, unable to move.

"Danny," his mother called softly from the door.

"Mom," Danny whispered, images of him sending a huge blast of ectoplasm straight for her, not truly knowing what it would do. Almost without realizing it, Danny was on his feet, throwing himself at his mother. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face into her shoulder.

"It's alright, sweetie," Maddie said softly, hugging him close to her. "It'll all be alright."

As the brilliant memories faded into something like a dream, Danny looked up at his father. Jack was still staring off into space, his mouth working soundlessly. "Dad?" Danny asked, hesitantly taking a step towards him.

Jack turned his bewildered eyes onto his son. "What…" he said hoarsely, "What a nightmare."

Maddie smiled at him, a similarly dazzled expression on her face. "It wasn't a nightmare, Jack." Danny nodded his head in agreement, holding out the _palonegro_ pendant as proof.

"But…" Jack hesitated, "that would mean that you're…" He stared Danny straight in the eyes.

"Yes," Danny whispered.

Jack blinked a few times, and turned to look at Maddie. "And you knew."

Maddie nodded. "Danny and I have met the creature before."

A feeling of revulsion swept through him as he realized that the creature was, right now, in his brain. Danny shuddered, dropping the _palonegro_, the source of the creature's power, onto the table.

Jack grabbed a chair and sank into it. "I need fudge," he whispered.

Maddie smiled and walked over towards the cabinets to get out a large chunk of Jack's favorite food group.

* * *

Danny hovered outside of the apartment, the _palonegro_ pendant dangling from a chain clenched in his fist. _This thing and the creature in my head need to be separated_, Danny knew. There was one person that would be able to take care of this thing properly, one person who knew the damage that would be caused if it got out.

He phased through the wall, landing softly on the floor. "Valerie?" he called, looking around.

A whining ectogun and the cold feel of the barrel against the back of his skull informed him that she was in the room. "What do you want," she asked. Her voice shook.

Danny didn't move. "I'm assuming you remember that little trip we took," he asked quietly.

Valerie was silent. "Was it real?"

"Yes."

Oddly, at this answer, the whine and the cold feel of the gun vanished. "What happened? I've got all of these memories that haven't happened yet."

Danny turned around, gazing into her eyes. "My mind was taken over by a ghost. Long story short, I sent you back in time with that last shot. I sent you back to help me prevent it from happening again."

Valerie's eyes widened. "It could happen again? All of those people…"

"Not could happen," Danny whispered, "is happening." He held up the _palonegro_, the smooth, black wood cool and soft against his palm. "This is the source of the creature's power. It's in my head right now."

"Why are you telling me this?" Valerie's fingers clenched spasmodically around the gun, not knowing whether to shoot him or to listen to him.

"I need to separate the creature," he tapped his head, "from its power source. There is one person on the planet that knows the danger of keeping these two things together and that I trust to keep it safe."

Valerie stared at him. "You trust me? I've spent all this time hunting you and you trust me?"

Danny laughed. "Of course. It helps that you don't want to cause the ultimate downfall of the human world, I suppose." He smiled at her, watching the thoughts flicker behind her eyes. "Will you?" he asked, holding out the pendant.

She nodded, reaching out. Just as she grabbed the pendant, a small shock jumped between them. "Hey!" she snapped good-naturedly as she rubbed her shocked fingers.

Danny smiled. "Guess I have an electric personality."

Valerie bit her lip. "I'll keep it safe for you, Phantom."

"I know."

"And I'm kind of sorry for hunting you."

"I know."

Valerie's eyes hardened. "Do you know everything?"

"Yup," Danny grinned, then flew out of the room, the whine of Valerie's ectogun recharging following him, easily dodging the half-hearted pot shots she took at his fleeing form.

* * *

Once again, Danny sat in the chair in his parent's lab, the overly-large Spectral Analyzer focused on him.

"This makes no sense," Maddie wondered softly, leaning closer to study the computer screen.

"What?" Danny asked for the fifth time, struggling not to get up and walk over there. His parents were being very close-lipped about what they saw.

"But it's right, Maddie," Jack said, checking over the machines for a third time.

"What?" Danny asked.

"Then how do you explain it, Jack?"

"WHAT?!" Danny finally screamed.

They both turned to look at him. Maddie frowned. "You don't need to scream, Danny."

"You weren't answering my question."

"What question was that?" Jack peered into the screen, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"What makes no sense?" Danny's knuckles were white on the chair armrests. He wanted to get up. He wanted to go see. It was _his_ readings after all.

"You only have two spectral patterns."

Danny blinked. "Yeah. One for me and one for the creature, right?"

Maddie shook her head. "No, before you had three. I'm assuming one for you, one for Phantom, and one for the creature."

A slow smile spread across Danny's face. "So… the creature's not in my head?"

Jack nodded. "Appears so, son."

"YES!" Danny sprung up from the chair and danced around the room. "Best news I've heard in days!"

"What's going on?" Jazz called from the foot of the stairs, her face confused.

Danny's eyes lit up. "Jazz!" he yelped, rushing over to her and yanking her into a bear hug. "I'm so glad you're not dead," he whispered. "That'll never happen again."

"What?" Jazz said, glancing up at her parents. "What is he mumbling about?"

Maddie smiled. "It's a long story. Let's go order some pizza and tell you all about it, shall we?" she proposed, ushering her children up the stairs.

Jack was left, staring at the screen that still showed his son's spectral patterns. He glanced up the stairs, his eyes wrinkled. Maddie was usually ahead of him in noticing the problems, but she was so overwhelmed by Jazz's safe return that the problem had been brushed out of her mind.

But it was still festering in Jack's brain.

The creature wasn't in Danny's head.

Where did it go?

* * *

Buried deep in the recesses of its host's mind, a creature older than time opened its eyes. It could feel the _palonegro_. Slowly, ever so slowly, it stretched out a tendril of thought from its hiding place and tenderly caressed the mind of its host. This mind was completely human, it knew, and malleable. Not like that other one. That hybrid.

Carefully, it touched a spark, redirecting it. Its host suddenly dropped the book that had been in its hands. The creature grinned, pleased. It spread its vague form through its host's brain and closed its eyes.

With the surety of practice that had never taken place, yet it could clearly remember, the creature began to take over the human's mind.

Unable to move, the host screamed in her mind, tumbling into nothingness.

Within an hour the host was completely taken over. The creature lifted its fingers to play with the _palonegro_ once again dangling around its neck. It grinned happily, its mind turning back towards its thoughts of the young hybrid.

If there was one thing a ten-thousand year old possessed, it was patience. The hybrid would _not _win. This time it would do things on its own. No outside influences.

It just needed a new plan. Nobody beat Criatura for long. Nobody.

Someday soon the hybrid would belong to it. Forever.


End file.
